SEATTLE — The Washington State University Board of Regents gave the go-ahead for a retail and housing development on Pullman’s College Hill, selected a new set of sites for upcoming meetings and adopted revised regents’ bylaws at the board’s first meeting of the academic year, held in Seattle Friday.
The university has recently acquired three lots on College Hill at the southeast corner of Colorado Street and Ruby Street. As part of the university’s ongoing improvement effort in the neighborhood, which is located adjacent to the Pullman campus, the university will demolish the dilapidated buildings and plans to enter into a land-lease with a developer interested in building a small retail and housing development on the site.
The meeting was the first regularly scheduled meeting of President Elson S. Floyd’s tenure. The board adopted revised bylaws to reflect some changes in committee structure in the new academic year and to make other minor changes in language.
The board also approved changes in the schedule for its upcoming meetings, with the goal of meeting in each campus city every year. Previously, the meetings have primarily been held in Pullman or Seattle, with a meeting in either Vancouver, Tri-Cities or Spokane each year.
Under the revised schedule, the Feb 1, 2008 meeting will be held in Vancouver, the March 21, 2008 meeting will be held in the Tri-Cities and the Oct. 10, 2008 meeting will be in Spokane.
Board chair Connie Niva said the change would allow the regents to meet more of the students, faculty and staff and learn more about the programs at the various campuses.
The regents granted to the president the authority to deny requests for the university to provide legal defense for a university employee when he believes such action is warranted. While some universities grant such authority to the president, at WSU, all such decisions previously required approval of the board.
The regents approved a resolution allowing the administration to pursue an option of entering into a ground lease and lease-back arrangement with the operator of the clubhouse for the Palouse Ridge Golf Club. Bids will be sought. Construction of the clubhouse is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2008.
The board’s next meeting is Oct. 19 in Pullman.
