Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 23, 1994 TAG: 9408250012
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS PAGE: 7 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHRISTIAN TOTO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
But the major construction that has enveloped much of the university - including a library addition and a new dorm - will be completed before or during the fall semester.
Through non-general funds and a 1992 $4.5 million general obligation bond, the university has been able to restructure its campus.
Possibly the biggest change is the expansion of McConnell Library. An additional 45,000 square feet have been created, providing more space for supplies and more study areas.
Linda Farynk, university librarian, said the improved facility will be available on the first day of classes. Among the improvements are five group-study rooms, a conference room for up to 50 people and an electronic compact-shelving system, which will help the library conserve the newly acquired space.
Expanding enrollment forced the changes. "There was not enough sitting space," Farynk said. "We ran out of room for additional books."
McConnell Library was built in 1932, when the student population was 580. It was expanded in 1969 to accommodate 3,500 students. Radford now enrolls 9,400 students. "The library needed to keep pace," Farynk said.
The university's oldest residential hall, Tyler Hall, has been under repair for more than 15 months. It, too, will be ready for the fall semester, supplying 180 students with air-conditioned suites.
The science building, Reed Hall, has been closed since December 1993. Work on the building should be completed by December, in time for spring semester. Its allotment from the bond is $4.5 million.
Charles King, vice president for business affairs, cited an entirely new electrical system as one of the building's improvements. "We completely gutted the inside," King said. The once-stuffy hall will be air-conditioned and feature new, redesigned labs in order to maximize available space.
Preston Hall is undergoing a $3.9 million expansion. The results are due next summer, said David Armstrong, director of the physical plant.
"Basically, we're adding 30,000 square feet to the building," which, Armstrong said, will yield three floors and new sites for the registrar and financial-aid offices now in Young Hall. "We'll be renovating part of the 'old' Preston," including the auditorium, he said.
McGuffey Hall is to undergo reconstruction in January. The plan is to redesign the space more efficiently for classrooms, enabling the building to keep up with the demands of modern technology, said Dave Barker of the public information office.
"A lot of the buildings were made in the '30s and '40s, before things like fiber optics were even thought of," he said.
The project has been awarded $3.2 million in bonds.
Some of the modifications to the campus have been less extreme. Muse Hall, the towering residential building that overlooks much of the university, had some engineering problems with the brick facing. The renovations, "more of a cosmetic problem," according to King, should be completed by the beginning of the semester.
A new parking lot, with a 260-car capacity, will be available Oct. 1 across from Norwood Street, on the other side of the physical plant.
The university also is trying to work out plans for a shuttle system, said Paul Harris, vice president for student affairs.
The school also is in preliminary planning for expanding both Heth Student Center and the Dedmon Center. "We're in the talking stage," King said.
Also under way is the new College of Global Studies, which has been given $5 million, though it will not be ready to accept students until the fall of 1996.
by CNB