The Daily Mining Gazette - Published: Friday, October 05, 2007 Print Article | Close Window Tech seeks funds for building expansion; Fisher Hall the focus By DAN SCHNEIDER, DMG Writer HOUGHTON — An expansion and continued renovation of Fisher Hall are the centerpieces of state capital outlay request the Michigan Technological University board of control finalized at its regular meeting Thursday. The request for approximately $44.5 million will be sent to the state for consideration for funding in 2009. If the state grants the full capital outlay, Tech would foot the bill for the remainder of the $59 million project cost. Tech Facilities Management Director John Rovano said the purpose of the construction will be to “add additional space and to continue with the remodeling of Fisher Hall providing additional technology, providing additional classrooms, providing additional office space.” Built in 1964, Fisher Hall houses Tech’s computer sciences, mathematical sciences and physics departments as well as the Center for Experimental Computation. “Fisher Hall is our largest general classroom facility,” Rovano said. “It houses a number of departments which don’t have their own buildings.” Fisher Hall received extensive upgrades and Rekhi Hall was added to the west side of Fisher in 2005. It was called the Center for Integrated Learning and Information Technologies (CILIT) project. The new proposal would be called CILIT 2. In addition to the new building connected to Fisher to the east, CILIT 2 would create elevated, enclosed walkways connecting the new building to the west end of Wadsworth Hall and connecting the library to the Memorial Union Building. But physics and math professors see the greatest need as providing additional classroom, lab and office space for their growing departments. “With the growing enrollment, classroom space in this building is at a premium,” Tech physics Professor John Jaszczak said. He also pointed out the need for updated equipment, particularly in the basement physics labs where clean water and climate control are necessary for experiments relating to clouds and lasers, respectively. Additional instructional labs are also necessary, Physics Department Chair Ravi Pandey said. Between 600 and 700 students go through the instructional labs every semester. Mathematical Sciences Department Chair Mark Gockenbach said the building’s use has evolved since it was built. Now there is more research being conducted and more offices are needed for researchers. “We’re always short on office space every year,” he said. “We’d like to expand our graduate program, but we’re always short on office space for the students to work on computers.” Rovano said technology updates are a key part of the request, as well. “Classroom technology has advanced so much and we’re a technological university, we want to make sure we’re offering the state of the art classroom technologies,” he said. Other projects listed on the capital outlay priority list include a new $35 million building for the School of Business and Economics, a new Great Lakes Research Center, renovation and expansion of Dillman Hall, and a new manufacturing center. Rovano said Tech will seek funding for these projects if the state allocates a lesser amount than what is needed for CILIT 2. Dan Schneider can be reached at dschneider@mininggazette.com