In addition to approving contracts for MSU President M. Peter McPherson and President-designate Lou Anna Simon on Friday, the MSU Board of Trustees also approved a $3.6 million agreement to construct a new veterinary medicine center.

The board took a contract with Fryling Construction Company to begin work on the $3.6 million Matilda R. Wilson Pegasus Critical Care Center. The center would be an extension of the College of Veterinary Medicine and would allow students to study infectious diseases in young animals.

Simon said the center will allow MSU to help find cures for diseases in humans as well as animals. She said the new center will increase interaction between MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine and the university's College of Human Medicine.

"For many human challenges there are great animal models, or the diseases are traceable to animals," Simon said, citing the bird flu.

Simon said the administration has always tried to allow scientists to be forward-thinkers.

"Great universities not only plan for the near future, but they think well ahead," she said.

Work on Spartan Stadium's upper-west stands will also occur, as the board approved a measure to repair the deck's handrails, concrete and architecture. Trustee Donald Nugent said work on that area of the stadium is needed because of the amount of rust on the west stands.

Part of the $61 million plan includes clearing 4,650 square feet of space to place a third branch of MSU's Office of Career Services and Placement and 200,000 square feet to house the MSU Alumni Association and "The Spartan" statue.

The Trustee Finance Committee will be known as the Finance and Audit Committee as a result of a board approved name change.

The committee is now responsible for overseeing the annual audit and financial reporting process.