University news
WPA wall restored and dedicated
Brian Kostreba, Kostreba Tuckpointing & Roofing, Rice, mortars into place the last element of the restored First Avenue walls. Photo by Adam Hammer ’05
A crowd of about 100 onlookers watched Oct. 30 as master mason Brian Kostreba mortared into place a granite sign that reads “WPA 1936” as the final element of a two-month, $200,000 restoration project to help preserve St. Cloud State’s First Avenue Walls. Built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the walls line the sidewalk on the east side of First Avenue from 8th Street south to University Bridge. The vast majority of the rough granite facing stones and polished granite capstones in the First Avenue Walls remain original material. “We knew we had to respect the character of the walls,” said John Frischmann, facilities construction coordinator. The Great Depression federal relief WPA program created $11 billion in public works projects between 1935 and 1943, according to Bill Morgan, professor emeritus of American Studies who spoke at the dedication event. Watch video of Bill Morgan’s remarks during the dedication event: scsu.mn/Qjhciw
Construction on track Renovation of the half-century-old Case-Hill residence hall is delivering more student-friendly comfort, features and space. The $12 million project, completed in August, returned 326 beds to service, ahead of schedule and under budget. Among the many updates are larger, more private bathrooms and air-handling equipment that improved air quality and control of room temperatures. Get more information at http://scsu.mn/TfKm1l. The Integrated Science and Engineering Laboratory Facility (ISELF) is enclosed and on track for use in August 2013. “As we move toward completion of our $45 million Integrated Science and Engineering Laboratory Facility, it will be important to equip its new classrooms and labs with tools that will help prepare students and to transform St. Cloud State into the Minnesota leader in science education and science business collaboration,” President Earl H. Potter III said. St. Cloud State received $120,000 in state funds in September for an X-ray diffractometer valued at $365,198 that will allow students and faculty in undergraduate and graduate programs to gain a deeper and more practical understanding of X-ray diffraction techniques. The University will raise $140,000 in matching contributions for the remainder of the cost and receive $105,000 in vendor discounts. View the ISELF web cam at http://scsu.mn/T5e060. The $14.7 million renovation and expansion of the National Hockey & Event Center is expected to be complete in April. The four-story glass atrium along Herb Brooks Way is enclosed. The SCSU Foundation and Husky Athletics are teaming to renovate the Husky Hockey locker rooms. Learn more about the NHEC, including the Alumni and Friends Locker Room Campaign at http://scsu.mn/QZx21X.
President Potter signs commitment to future statement St. Cloud State is one of 487 participating universities involved in the Project Degree Completion: A Public University Initiative with a commitment to increasing the number of undergraduate baccalaureate degrees granted by public universities and colleges by 3.8 million between now and 2025. President Earl H. Potter III signed a commitment to the future statement as part of the initiative through the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).
4
Outlook Winter 2012
“Project Degree Completion is an unprecedented initiative that will drive the instructional agenda of public universities and colleges in the years ahead,” said M. Peter McPherson, president of APLU. “Never before have public colleges and universities, and our two associations, formally come together around such an important and sustained effort. This initiative is an economic competitiveness imperative for the future of the country and the individuals involved.” The project also calls for providing students with a quality education and
renewed partnership among public colleges and universities, the states and the federal government while working to achieve these goals. Other portions of the Project Degree Completion commitment pledge support for student access and diversity; efforts to reduce the average “time to degree” for students; and closer partnerships with elementary and secondary schools and community colleges to prepare students to earn four-year degrees, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.