Trustees at Slippery Rock University voted Friday to pursue $98 million for renovations to three prominent but aging campus buildings, including Murrow Field House, built in 1959.
They also approved student fee increases totaling about $270 for the 2024-25 academic year.
Both actions were among those taken as the university’s Council of Trustees held its quarterly meeting on campus.
On the renovation and restoration front, trustees agreed to ask the State System of Higher Education to add all three building projects to its capital budget so work can be pursued in the coming years.
Murrow Field House, built in 1959, is used for events large and small, from commencements and convocations to athletic events. But the multipurpose venue is showing its age, from HVAC and plumbing systems at the end of their useful life to structural finishes that date to its original construction, officials said.
So trustees are seeking $48.3 million to renovate Morrow, which also houses Athletics Department administrative offices and Physical Health and Education faculty offices.
It would be the largest building project at the state-owned university of almost 8,400 students in at least a decade.
“Every potential student visits this building and almost every current student utilizes the Field House during their time at SRU,” a funding justification document prepared for the meeting stated in part.
The trustees also agreed to seek a place in the capital budget for projects to modernize two other antiquated instructional buildings.
They include:
• McKay Education Building, constructed in 1929, home of the College of Education, at a project cost of $26.6 million.
• the Eisenberg Building, constructed in 1969, home of campus programs such as the business college, at a projected cost of $23.1 million.
The work would be included in the 2027-28 capital budgets for Morrow; 2029-30 for McKay and 2030-31 for Eisenberg.
The State System board of governors is expected to take up the capital budget items at its July meeting.
“This is just one step in the process and not a final approval, and even if it is approved, work would not begin until the years indicated above,” Slippery Rock spokesman Justin Zackal said in advance of Friday’s vote.
Student fees to increase
The trustees also approved several fee increases for the upcoming academic year to support the following areas:
• Recreation complex: $40 (18%) for the first increase since 2013-14.
• Student center: $21 (4.99%) for the first increase since 2015-16.
• Dining services meal plan: $140 for a 14-meal plan (5.22%) for the first increase since 2017-18.
• Traditional housing room rates: $70 per semester (2%) for the first increase since 2015-16.
“Each of these auxiliary operations provides an important service that enhances the student experience on campus,” said Carrie Birckbichler, vice president for finance and administration, in a statement released after Friday’s vote. “This first increase in the past several years is necessary because operating budgets are now being strained by inflationary pressures as expenses continue to rise.”
The board also offered commendations to individuals for campus services and voted to name an annual event for a now-deceased administrator, Samantha Swift, interim vice president for university advancement. She died on Dec. 31.
The University’s annual fundraising golf outing for women’s athletics will now be named the Samantha Swift Memorial Golf Outing. This year’s outing is June 7 at the Slippery Rock Golf Club.
Bill Schackner is a TribLive reporter covering higher education. Raised in New England, he joined the Trib in 2022 after 29 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where he was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. Previously, he has written for newspapers in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. He can be reached at [email protected].