Board of Trustees addressed campus projects at November meeting

In addition to the resolution retiring golden eagle Nova and naming golden eagle Aurea as War Eagle VIII, the Auburn University Board of Trustees addressed the following matters at its Nov. 22 meeting.

The board decided to:

• Initiate a project to build out the Leach Science Center basement to accommodate additional research space for the Department of Physics, including two laser laboratories, a biophysics laboratory, laboratory support areas and the relocation of the college’s information technology department. Stacy Norman Architects of Auburn will serve as architect.

• Refurbish the Village Residence Halls, upgrading all 484 suites with new flooring, casework, countertops, vanities and bathroom fixtures, as well as repainting suites and hallways. The estimated cost of $15 million to $16 million will be financed by Student Affairs. Construction could start in summer 2020.

• Upgrade the fire alarm system in the Quad Residence Halls. Phase I, which would be completed during summer 2020, involves two halls in the Upper Quad and two in the Lower Quad. The estimated cost of $1.1 million to $1.3 million will be financed by Student Affairs.

• Upgrade the 236 guest rooms at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center with new furniture, soft goods, flooring, wall coverings, cabinets, closet units, vanities and bathroom fixtures, as well as new paint in the rooms and hallways. The estimated cost of $8 million to $9 million will be financed by hotel revenues.

• Replace the field lighting in Jordan-Hare Stadium with LED fixtures. The estimated cost between $3.75 million and $4.25 million will be financed by Athletics.

• Convey a 0.51-acre parcel to the Alabama Department of Transportation for a $2.5 million project to construct a traffic circle and make related improvements to the intersection of North College Street and Farmville Road.

• Exchange a 0.33-acre parcel of 3410 Skyway Drive to Scott Land Company for a 2.9-acre portion.

• Hire a real estate broker to market the vacant land at the E.V. Smith Research Center in Shorter, Alabama.

• Adopt updates to the undergraduate enrollment policy, which includes setting a target enrollment—not a cap--at 25,000 undergraduate students, setting a target of 5,000 students for new freshman cohorts, having Alabama residents comprise approximately 60 percent of each freshman cohort, continue recruiting and admitting qualified undergraduate transfer students and utilizing Auburn University at Montgomery as an alternative when space is not available on the main campus. The updates reflect priorities in the university’s Strategic Plan.

• Increase tuition and fees for undergraduate and graduate students at Auburn University for 2020-21 by 2.5 percent and 3 percent at Auburn University at Montgomery. The additional revenue generated from the increase will strengthen the student experience and aid in the implementation of the university’s Strategic Plan, including improving the graduation rate, first-year retention rate and increasing in-state undergraduate enrollment.

• Increase the housing rate by 2 percent for 2020-21 in order to increase a reserve for deferred maintenance and address debt retirement commitments, rising operational costs, anticipated renovations, programming, new construction and non-recurring expenditures.