This year’s Oregon legislative session awarded the University $26.65 million in state-funded general obligation bonds, the largest investment for capital construction in 30 years.
As a result, campus will see massive construction projects over the next few years as millions of dollars continue to pour into the Campaign Oregon: Transforming Lives fund raiser.
With $364 million already raised from private donors, the campaign to improve facilities on campus and attract nationally recognized scholars, athletes and students while improving the academic atmosphere at the University is well under way.
Chairman of Campaign Oregon and University alumnus Randy Pape, also president and CEO of The Pape Group, Inc. in Eugene, said in a press release he was excited to see this step forward for education.
“This is tremendous for the University community, its supporters and the entire state,” Pape said in the release. “The state pays half, donors pay the other half, and our students win. I am thrilled that the legislature and the governor took this opportunity to further invest in higher education by partnering with donors.”
Under Senate Bill 5514, $19.4 million will fund a new College of Education building and complex, replacing 30-year-old temporary facilities for a $48.1 million project. Another $3.95 million will help expansion and renovation efforts to the James F. Miller Theater Complex, adding new classrooms, workshops and lighting for the largest performance theater program in the state.
The third and final stage of the Lillis Business Complex project received $3.3 million for the expansion and renovation of University’s Gilbert Hall at the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business, a $6.6 million project overall.
Already the University is seeing improvements. Currently the Living Learning Center is going up across from the Recreation Center turfs after beginning construction in January 2005. At a cost of $27 million, the 120,000-square-foot residence hall will be equipped with roughly 400 rooms for student, on-campus housing, instructional facilities, lounges, a kitchen and cafe. This project is scheduled to for completion in fall 2006.
Before school ended last spring term the new Hayward Plaza on the corner of 15th Avenue and Agate Street finished construction. New students and visitors are now welcomed by the front door of Hayward Field after almost $1 million went into converting a small parking lot into the new entrance.
“All the feedback we have received has been positive,” said architect and Director of the University Planning Committee Chris Ramey.
The University Health and Counseling Center recently began an expansion and alteration project, paid for with more than $10 million from student building fees. This is the first upgrade for the 40-year-old building. It provides additional space for a larger student population than the building was originally intended for in 1965.
President David Frohnmayer’s mother, MarAbel B. Frohnmayer, was honored in mid-July when the University renamed the music building after her. Lorry Lokey gave $2 million to the music building renovation and expansion project slated to begin in August 2006, two years ahead of schedule thanks to the donation. The project, which will total $15.2 million, half of which is paid by state bonds, will double the square footage of the current music building and create an entrance on 18th Avenue, among other new features.
Other recent and future projects can be found at the University campus Planning Office Web site at darkwing.uoregon.edu/~uplan/.

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