ISU board to consider several projects, bonus for Dietz

Posted on February 19, 2020
Illinois State University trustees meet at 9 a.m. Friday in the Bone Student Center. (Facebook/Bone Student Center)

 

By Neil Doyle

NORMAL – The Illinois State University governing board will consider a lengthy list of projects at its meeting Friday that would cost the university several million dollars.

The Board of Trustees will vote on spending $5.5 million for a multicultural center at 301 S. Main Street. The space would include student organization office spaces, administrative offices, academic support space, and a computer lab.  The center would open this fall, according to the university.

The board will consider a $4.1 million project to repair the Bone Student Center visitor parking lot and construct a new pedestrian entry walkway.  Additionally, trustees will take up spending $4.2 million to replace air handling units on the top of Watterson Towers which provide fresh air to all 28 stories of the building. Watterson also wants to replace aging furniture which would cost $1.6 million.

Meanwhile, the board will vote on a bonus for President Larry Dietz, hiring a consulting firm for $875,000 to help implement a new engineering program and a new bachelor’s degree in computer systems technology.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

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