In its first meeting of the new academic year, the MSU Board of Trustees voted Friday to approve a proposed $55 million budget for the Facility of Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB.
The $55 million will be used to build the exterior of four of FRIB’s buildings.
“We’re committing ourselves to going forward,” Trustee Brian Breslin said. “As long as the federal government and the State of Michigan are willing to make their commitments.”
The nuclear physics project has a completion date of June 2016, with the entire FRIB project slated to be finished by December 2021. The project is expected to bring in researchers from across the globe.
FRIB is estimated to cost about $680 million and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, appropriations from the state of Michigan and MSU financing.
The trustees also approved an authorization to plan for a proposed $18 million expansion of the north end zone of Spartan Stadium. The renovation will address maintenance needs, and update the facility’s home and away locker rooms, media room, concessions areas and restrooms.
“I think this is something that needs to be done,” Trustee Faylene Owen said. “This has waited way too long.”
President Lou Anna K. Simon said during the meeting it has been 34 years since the locker rooms have been updated.
She said the renovation will be funded by fundraising and donations so it’s not a “burden to the institution.”
They board also approved steps in several other construction projects, including renovations to Butterfield Hall, renovations to the Music Building, and a new filming tower for the football practice facility.
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