The MSU Board of Trustees voted unanimously Friday to greenlight a $61 million project that would bring luxury suites, club-level seating and other upgrades to Spartan Stadium.

The expansion, which has been an Athletics Department project for more than two years, calls for an eight-story addition to be built on the west side of Spartan Stadium housing 24 luxury suites, 862 indoor and outdoor club-level seats and office space for University Development - MSU's fund-raising division - and the MSU Alumni Association.

Of the $61 million price tag, the Athletics Department is expected to shoulder $50 million, while the remaining money will come from funds currently used to lease off-campus office space for University Development.

"Funding for our part of it is strictly all generated dollars," Athletics Director Ron Mason said. "We're not getting any money from the university."

Construction on the expansion is scheduled to begin in November following the completion of the 2003 football season and planned to be completed in time for the 2005 season kickoff.

The renovations are not expected to affect any of the 2004 home games.

The luxury suites are expected to range in cost from $35,000 to $80,000 and indoor and outdoor club-level seats will go for $4,500 to $6,500. Club-level seating will be built where the press box now exists and luxury suites and the new press box will be built above the upper deck on the west side of the stadium.

Additionally, the plan allows for increased capacity - to approximately 75,000 - and improvements to restrooms and the concourse. The stadium's current capacity is 72,027.

Trustees embraced Mason's appeal to the board, emphasizing the project's likelihood to markedly increase the revenue base for the Athletics Department, as well as its side effect of freeing space in the Union when the Alumni Association moves into the new stadium addition.

"We're freeing space at the Union at no cost," Trustee Don Nugent said. "We're cash-flowing and we're increasing revenue to our nonrevenue sports."

Trustee Randall Pittman agreed.

"By following through with this, we would not be exhausting the reserves of the Athletics Department," he said. "But it would put us in a sound financial basis going forward."

Mason said that the expansions are estimated to generate about $1 million per year, and that preliminary interest in the luxury seating has been strong.

"We've had a silent survey in the mail and the response has been very, very good, to the point where we knew this thing would work," he said. "With the economy the way it is, we were pleasantly surprised."

But others aren't as enthusiastic about the major makeover. While appealing to the Board of Trustees on Friday for the creation of a Multicultural Center, North American Indian Student Organization member Steve Erskine called the move "sick."

"There simply isn't money for it," said Erskine, an electrical engineering senior. "If you're going to allocate money, allocate it for a (Multicultural Center)."

But the addition's plans also revealed a twist ending for an ongoing university saga.

Upon completion of the expansion, the original "The Spartan" statue will be permanently displayed in the new addition's atrium, said Keith Williams, executive director of the Alumni Association. A bronze replica of Sparty will be cast and moved to its new home on Demonstration Field.

"The old Sparty will be housed free from the ravages of Michigan winters and Michigan vandals," Williams said.