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Penn State Intercom......April
4, 2002 Building program tops action
at Penn College board meeting
Pennsylvania College of Technology will construct student housing, renovate the former HON Industries facility to accommodate space-restricted programs and refurbish the 89-year-old Klump Academic Center as part of a building program approved by the college's Board of Directors.
The board authorized the college administration to undertake a bond issue of $28.5 million to $32 million to complete those projects and to retrofit the Hager Lifelong Education Center, the Learning Resources Center, the Parkes Automotive Technology Center and the Breuder Advanced Technology and Health Sciences Center for additional instructional uses.
"The Stage IX building program represents an unprecedented opportunity to expand academic and instructional space and to meet the increasing demand for college-owned student housing in an affordable manner," said Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour.
"We expect to enroll an additional 100 students in space-restricted majors by Fall 2004, and the student-housing construction will address the continuing need for high-quality on-campus facilities -- a significant factor in the enrollment decision for many families."
Additional factors influencing the administration's plans are the favorable bond market, the college's strong financial standing and the extra costs that would be incurred if the projects were to be pursued in piecemeal fashion, Gilmour said.
In other business, the board approved a two-year extension of the current faculty contract with the Penn College Education Association, which approved the extension on Feb. 5. The current three-year contract took effect Aug. 21, 2000. The extension calls for annual salary increases of 3.25 percent in both 2003-04 and 2004-05. In addition, cost sharing for the employees' health-insurance coverage will be set aside temporarily through 2004-05.
For details,
check the Web at http://WWW.PCT.EDU/pctoday/news/construction/boardreport0202.htm.
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