Ball State strengthened its commitment to providing students a high-quality, comprehensive, residential experience with investments in a new residence hall and the renovation of its student center.

The university's Board of Trustees approved the hiring of architects and funding for the construction of a residence hall on Neely Avenue north of the existing Studebaker Halls and upgrades to the L.A. Pittenger Student Center.

"These are exciting projects that will add to the overall vibrancy of the Ball State campus," said Ball State President Jo Ann M. Gora. "There are and will be centers of activity and relaxation for students spread throughout the campus - from the renovated student center to the Duck Ponds and Scheumann Stadium and from the new residence halls to, looking ahead, a dedicated student recreation center in 2011."

The North Residence Hall will house approximately 600 students in double-occupancy rooms clustered around semiprivate baths and a limited number of single-occupancy rooms with private baths. The hall has an estimated cost of $43.5 million that will be financed through university housing and dining renewal and replacement funds. It will be designed by CSO Schenkel Shultz of Indianapolis.

Alan Hargrave, associate dean of student affairs and director of housing and residence life, has scheduled discussions about the new hall with students and student groups. Feedback from the focus groups will be used to develop an online survey to ensure the university is well-informed about the needs and desires of students. The survey will be available the first week of October.

"We want to make sure we are updating the information we have gathered over the past several years, including that collected in 2001 by a consulting firm and in 2004 prior to the trustees' approval of Park Hall," Hargrave said. "Student input has been valuable as we have worked to modernize our facilities and develop the type of housing that is attractive to college students."

The trustees approved the construction of Park Hall in 2004. It is the first new residence hall at Ball State since the opening of the Johnson complex in 1969 and will be ready to house students next fall.

The student center was built in three stages between 1952 and 1961, and very few changes have been made to it over the years. The renovation of the center makes good use of an existing, aesthetically pleasing building that has convenient access to parking and the campus shuttle system, Gora said.

In addition to replacing plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems that visitors do not see, the comprehensive project will include enhancements to more visible features, such as windows, elevators, interior finishes and ceilings, and redesigned entrances that not only meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but also enhance the usability and function of the building.

The Estopinal Group of Jeffersonville, Ind., has been hired as the project's architects. The renovation has an estimated cost of $14.5 million that will be financed from the university student center repair and renewal fund.

A building committee composed of Kay Bales, vice president for student affairs; Hargrave; Bruce Morgan, director of the student center and programs; Kevin Kenyon, associate vice president for facilities planning and management; Greg Graham, interim director of facilities planning; and the project architects, will also hold focus groups with students and other constituent groups to gather input on design features.

"My goal is for the student center to be an even more energetic and dynamic space where students can socialize with their friends or explore one of the many opportunities to become engaged in the life of the campus," Bales said. "Along with the upgraded recreational facilities and the new residence halls, the renovation of the student center clearly signifies the university's emphasis on the total student experience, providing a proper balance of curricular and cocurricular activities."

In other news, the trustees recognized the generous support of benefactors Mary Jane and the late David Sursa and their family with the naming of the new pipe organ in the Music Instruction Building's Sursa Performance Hall.

The Sursa Family Concert Organ is a 50-stop pipe organ designed, constructed and installed by Goulding & Wood of Indianapolis. For additional background, go to
www.bsu.edu/news/article/0,1370,43969--,00.html.

The Sursas have been generous supporters and active advocates for the arts at Ball State, in the community and around Indiana for nearly 50 years. After David's death in 2003, Mary Jane Sursa and the couple's children have continued to be engaged with the College of Fine Arts.

The Sursa Family Concert Organ will be unveiled during a special recital at 4 p.m. Oct. 22.