OU regents consider capital projects

BY JAMES S. TYREE Comments 0
Published: November 4, 2009

LAWTON — The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents will consider capital projects both overseas and in Oklahoma when it meets at 2 p.m. today at Cameron University.

OU President David Boren plans to ask the board to authorize negotiations, through the OU Foundation, for renovation and long-term lease agreements for property in Arezzo, Italy, to enhance study abroad opportunities.

Renovations are expected to cost $4.7 million, and the academic programs should begin by the spring 2013 semester.

"By instituting an established presence in Arezzo, university students will have increased access to OU resources locally to assist with detail of daily living,” Boren stated in his request to the board.

Boren also is expected to ask the regents to:

Revise the construction cost for building the OU Cancer Institute to $90.25 million, up from the $88.6 million bid amount approved in September 2008. The price revision is due to higher labor and material costs and the decision to complete an additional 10,000 square feet on the sixth floor.

The project, which has a total estimated cost of $120 million, is scheduled to be done in November 2010.

• Request state government’s approval to issue $24.25 million in bonds within the next six months for the Health Sciences Center to upgrade a steam-and-chilled-water plant and finance a data center, each budgeted at $10 million, plus $3.5 million for parking structure repairs.

• Approve a 19-member committee of faculty and administrators, two students and one staff member to conduct a national search for the next dean of the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences. Rich Taylor, dean of the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, would be the committee’s chairman.

The chosen candidate will succeed John Snow, who plans to step down on June 30 after 16 years.