Higher Education Projects Moved Forward

By Jennifer Burk, The Macon Telegraph, Ga.

Jan. 12–Proposed construction projects for Macon State College and Fort Valley State University moved another step forward Thursday.

Gov. Sonny Perdue announced a $228 million bond package for the Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s 35 public colleges and universities.

Perdue’s budget proposal includes $22.2 million for a professional sciences center at Macon State and $16.8 million for an academic classroom building at FVSU.

An additional $1 million is proposed for purchasing equipment for Parks Memorial Nursing Building at Georgia College & State University.

Macon State’s 100,000-square-foot professional sciences center is intended to house business and information technology divisions and a high-tech communication center.

At an estimated cost of $26 million, it is the college’s most expensive project.

Macon State President David Bell said he is thankful the governor is behind the project. He said he is ready to start construction as soon as possible.

“If we get the final go-ahead at the end of the session, which we are confident that we will, we will have equipment out there the next day,” he said. “We are ready to go.”

FVSU’s academic classroom building is planned to have 75,000 square feet of classroom and lab space, as well as a dean and administrators’ area.

FVSU President Larry Rivers also said he’s grateful.

“Although we have been anticipating approval of this smart classroom building for several years, we thank the Board of Regents and Governor Perdue for moving ahead in seeking final approval for its construction,” he said in a prepared statement.

“This is great news, and we intend to exert every effort to ensure final approval of the project.”

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Macon Telegraph, Ga.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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