University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 29, May 1
                                   
              UD presents FY '98 capital request to state
     
     New construction, renovation and renewal of the
University of Delaware campus were the focus April 29 as
President David P. Roselle outlined for the Legislative Bond
Committee UD's top five priorities for capital
appropriations in 1998.
     "Over the years," Roselle said, "the University and the
state have forged an effective partnership in developing the
University's campuses. That partnership has resulted in
state-of-the-art educational facilities for the citizens of
Delaware and the region."
     Roselle noted that a "key element" of the partnership
has been the leveraging of the state's capital investment
through an ongoing commitment by the University to secure
private support.
     The top priority in the request, Roselle said, is the
$3 million final installment of an $11 million total state
appropriation for the construction of MBNA America Hall and
the renovation of Purnell Hall- home of the College of
Business and Economics. Roselle called the college "a major
resource to the state's industry, banking and commerce
entities. "
     MBNA America Hall is expected to be ready for occupancy
in July, and the renovation of Purnell Hall should be
completed in August.
     "We are particularly proud of the partnerships among
the state, the University, industry and individual donors as
evidenced in this project," he said. "As with many of our
other collaborative building efforts, the state and the
University entered into a handshake agreement wherein the
state would provide $11 million over a four-year period,
during which the University raised $4 million in support of
the project."
     The University's second priority request is for $4
million, as the first installment in a $7.5 million request
for funds to renovate Memorial Hall- the anchor building of
UD's central Mall, both visible and historically and
architecturally significant. The University is committed to
providing $1 million of institutional and private funds to
support the project.
     "The renovation of Memorial Hall signals a new phase in
the University's capital funding program," Roselle said. "We
have largely completed construction of major new facilities
on the Newark campus for the foreseeable future, and we are
now turning even more attention to the renovation and
rehabilitation of existing buildings."
     Built in 1923, Memorial Hall has not been renovated
since its last addition in the 1960s, and its infrastructure
is outdated. The project will focus on renovation of all
classrooms and offices, replacement of windows, updating
mechanical, electrical and communications systems, and
making it handicapped accessible.
     The University's third priority is $1 million for
facilities renewal and renovation, an amount which would be
matched by University funds on at least a one-to-one basis.
     Over the past several years, the University has engaged
in a systematic refurbishing of its older buildings, Roselle
said, and this activity is about to be expanded. "We are
about to commit over $24 million to updating and modernizing
residence halls along the central Mall over the next four
years, and over $9 million to replace HVAC and make other
improvements in Christiana Towers. The University's campus
is an invaluable asset. It is our intention to preserve it
as such."
     One of the buildings planned for significant renewal is
DuPont Hall, home of the Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering. The 70,000-square-foot structure
was built in 1957. Replacement of windows, renovation of
research and teaching laboratories and building code and
handicapped accessibility issues will be addressed.
     As a fourth priority, the University requested $500,000
for one-time equipment for the Molecular
Biology/Biotechnology Initiative. These funds will assist in
the acquisition of equipment essential to the cutting edge
research that the University is doing in such areas as soil
microbiology, the physical biochemistry of proteins, gene
targeting and gene insertion and deletion, all research
initiatives that will have long-term positive impact on the
state's economy.
     The fifth priority is a request for $500,000 to begin
planning for the renovation of Wolf Hall, the building that
serves as home of the departments of Biology and Psychology.
This would be the initial installment of a total
appropriation estimated at $12 to $13 million over four
years. This project will address the need for structural,
mechanical, electrical, plumbing, water penetration, life
safety and handicapped accessibility improvements to the
structure, which was originally built in 1917.
     "The laboratories in Wolf Hall are also outdated and
must be renovated to meet current and future demands of our
expanding molecular biology and biotechnology initiatives,"
Roselle said.
     "The University very much appreciates the close,
cooperative partnership it has with the state in providing
our students with the finest possible living and learning
environment," Roselle concluded. "Together, we have built a
campus that has become a national model. We look forward to
working with you to enhance, preserve and protect this
invaluable resource."