PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University students will be the primary beneficiaries of two construction projects approved by the WSU Board of Regents at its regular meeting here today.
The regents approved renovation of the Old Bookie building to serve as a student services facility on the Pullman campus. The building was vacated in 2008 when the Bookie moved its operations to the Compton Union Building. A student committee helped guide design of the renovation; all Pullman students were surveyed about what they want in the building. Construction is expected to begin spring 2016.
Board members also approved construction of a Student Union Building on the WSU Tri-Cities campus. Regent Mike Worthy noted that students on the Tri-Cities campus initiated the project approximately four years ago and approved a fee increase to help pay for it.
“The students showed significant maturity in saving money for this project,” he said. “They never gave up for a second, and they kept their eye on the ball. Vigilance does pay off.”
In other business, the board:
- Approved a 6.9 percent salary increase for WSU President Elson S. Floyd. “The performance of President Floyd throughout his eight years as president, but especially during the 2014-2015 academic year, is the most extraordinary performance by a professional I have ever seen,” said Regent Worthy. Worthy noted that Floyd had not received a salary increase since 2008;
- Approved establishment of a major in Forestry, under the approved Bachelor of Science in Earth and Environmental Sciences, effective in the Fall of 2015;
- Approved the second phase of improvements to the WSU Soccer Field on the Pullman campus;
- Elected Regent Ryan Durkin board chair. Regent Durkin is an attorney with Hills Clark Martin & Peterson and specializes in real estate, land use and environmental law. She earned her undergraduate degree from WSU;
- Heard reports on WSU’s new Digital Classroom Building for the Pullman campus, a new instructional facility featuring state-of-the-art technology, classrooms and collaborative learning spaces, and on the Technology Test Kitchen, a project of the WSU Global Campus to allow faculty members to try out new teaching technologies; and
- Gave university leadership the authorization to increase Services and Activities Fees (and S&A-like fees) by between 0 and 7 percent for all WSU campuses for the academic year 2015-2016.
Contact:
Kathy Barnard, University Communications, 509-335-8055, kbarnard@wsu.edu