REGENTS OK ATHLETIC FACILITIES IMPROVEMENT PLANS

The Board of Regents Friday gave its blessing to continued design work for improving Southeast Missouri State University's Houck Stadium and Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

The board approved conceptual designs and authorized schematic design work on the projects.

In all, Southeast expects to spend about $70,000 on design work. That includes the money already spent for conceptual design work by the DLR Group in Kansas City.

But school officials said the projects won't proceed past the planning stage without private funding.

Don Dickerson, board president, said officials to land the needed donations. "Hope and faith spring eternal," he said.

"The whole idea, I think, makes sense," said Dickerson.

Southeast wants to construct a new press box and suites on the south side of the stadium and a multipurpose building immediately west of the football field. The two-story multipurpose building would include locker rooms for Southeast's football and women's soccer teams.

Southeast President Dr. Ken Dobbins said the proposed multipurpose building is larger than originally planned. It includes a second-story multipurpose room and exterior deck overlooking the football field.

Initially, school officials had hoped to build a new press box on the north side of the stadium. But Dobbins said further study found it would be better to build it on the south side. It will replace the existing press box above the Houck Stadium entrance.

The southside location is the best in terms of costs and access to utilities for new restrooms, Dobbins said. There also would be fewer sun problems on that side, he said.

School officials also want to expand the Rosengarten Athletic Complex that borders the practice football field on the north side of the campus. Plans call for building a separate 8,000-square-foot structure that would serve as a weight room.

A canopy would connect it to the existing Rosengarten building.

The Houck Stadium and Rosengarten improvement projects combined could cost $4 million, with nearly $3 million of that going to Houck improvements.

Dr. Pauline Fox, vice president of administration and enrollment management, said the improvements are part of the school's larger plans for athletic improvements. They include the recent installation of synthetic turf at Houck Stadium.

Board of Regents

Agenda actions

Friday, May 12

* Hired Dr. Jane Stephens as provost.

* Approved conferring of degrees for 2000 spring commencement.

* Approved new master of science degrees in industrial management and criminal justice.

* Authorized schematic design work for proposed improvements to Houck Stadium and the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.

* Revised the five-year academic calendar and made the Martin Luther King holiday an official holiday for faculty and staff. It is already a holiday for Southeast students.

* Approved a contract with KPMG to conduct the annual audit of the university at a cost of $66,685.