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MTSU continues to be an exciting place to work and study, in large part because of so many renovations and the new buildings underway or opening for use. Here is a brief update on recent and current projects.

Master Plan

The MTSU Master Plan was reviewed and approved on Aug. 11 by the State Building Commission. The plan features proposed new facilities for Behavioral and Health Sciences, Math and Computer Science, Liberal Arts, the School of Music, Engineering Technology and Concrete Industry Management, and new student housing in the future, as well as other MTSU Athletics and support facilities. In addition, new parking decks are planned on the perimeter of campus along with infrastructure improvements to support the growth of the campus.

Academic Building for the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences

On July 14, the State Building Commission approved full planning of the proposed Academic Building for the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences. Funding in the amount of $1.6 million was approved to complete the design and bid-ready documents, and preparations are underway to begin the design work. Construction funding is listed as a priority project on TBR’s capital outlay funding request and is anticipated to move up in priority in the next state legislative session.

Davis Science and Wiser-Patten Science Renovations

Project completion is planned by late fall for this crucial renovation project, costing approximately $20 million in state money already allocated during the construction of our new $147 million Science Building project. A new connector between the Davis Science Building and Wiser-Patten Science Hall—the Strobel Lobby—will create a central entrance for both buildings and will provide ADA accessibility within both buildings. Occupants of the buildings will include College of Basic and Applied Sciences new academic advising offices, Geosciences, and new Mechatronics Lab in Davis Science, and Physics, Anthropology, and Forensic Science in Wiser-Patten. Wiser-Patten building construction is approximately 95 percent complete, and Davis Science is approximately 85 percent complete. Equipment and furnishings will be installed through the end of the summer and fall, and the new and returning occupants will move in late fall and over the holiday break before the spring 2017 semester.

Capital Maintenance

A five-year project to provide an underground electric distribution system is now installed throughout the campus, and the long-range project is substantially complete. The improved system created an additional electrical feed into the campus, removed overhead lines, and installed the electrical distribution in underground conduit duct banks. With the addition of a second Murfreesboro Electric Department substation, the campus is well prepared for current loads as well as future growth, and the system protects the grid from weather-related problems. Major maintenance projects to replace major steam and condensate lines, upgrades of elevators in Corlew, and replacement of an old chiller giving full chilling capacity for the campus all were completed this summer. New maintenance projects totaling $6.73 million in state capital funding were approved by the State Building Commission for fiscal year 2016–17. These projects include repairs to building exteriors, electrical equipment replacements and upgrades, Saunders Fine Arts HVAC connection to the Central Plant and window replacements, boiler replacements, and energy controls improvements.

Miller Education Center Renovation

The renovation of the Miller Education Center (MEC), formerly the Bell Street Center, opened for the start of last semester. The center is an approximately two-minute drive from the edge of campus, located at the intersection of Greenland Drive, Highland Avenue, and Bell Street. New occupants include the Jennings A. Jones College of Business Center for Executive Education, the University College, the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services, and the Center for Chinese Music and Culture. The Chinese cultural center is the result of a $1 million grant provided by Hanban Confucius Institute in Beijing, an organization sponsored by China’s education ministry that oversees more than 440 institutes in 120 countries. In collaboration with our sister university, Hangzhou, the new center will promote music as a vital element in education and understanding of Chinese people and culture.