When Mississippi University for Women President Nora Miller saw the state legislature’s allocations for the Institutions of Higher Learning’s Capital Improvements Fund, she said she was ready to roll up her sleeves and go to battle.
The state allocated $110 million to the fund in Senate Bill 2468 to be distributed by IHL to the state’s universities. But MUW was the only one of the eight state institutions that was left off the list.
After receiving some clarification, Miller said she learned The W’s funds were allocated in a second IHL appropriations bill, Senate Bill 3006, that allocated another $381 million to the state’s universities. MUW received $3.4 million in the bill, which was expected, Miller said.
“We received what we requested,” Miller told The Dispatch. “It was just unusual that they funded it in two different bills, and that we were left out of the one.”
The W received the least out of the four regional universities, which each received between $9.5 and $13.5 million.
MUW’s appropriation dedicates $3.16 million to general support, which includes capital needs, campus support, and general repair and renovation. The school also received $300,000 in preplanning money for a renovation project at Painter Hall, and a $2.4 million appropriation from the 2022 legislative session was reauthorized for plans to expand the nursing school.
Each of the universities also received a 6.7% budget increase from the state from the previous year, MUW Interim Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer Carla Lowery said. For The W, that increase equals out about $1.2 million to be used on specified items, like increases for health insurance and the Public Employees Retirement System.
While she expressed gratitude for the appropriation funds, Miller said the university’s needs are greater than what the school received.
“It’s the same for us as every other institution,” she said. “We need way more than what we got, but we’re grateful for what we got because we had been told during the session to expect flat or down.”
Renovating and expanding
With the appropriations, MUW is taking next steps on several projects that are already underway.
Painter Hall, which houses the humanities department, is already receiving exterior renovations to doors and windows. The $300,000 of preplanning money appropriated by the legislature this year will go towards planning a full interior renovation of the building.
Lowery said the renovation will include adding an elevator to the building and making mechanical upgrades. She said the full funding for that project — $15 million — is slated to be appropriated next year, according to the IHL’s four year bond plan for capital improvements.
“So it’s really important that we get that preplanning done this year,” she said. “Then hopefully in the next legislative session, that bond plan will work as it’s intended to work, and we’ll get the $15 million. That building is probably our oldest used building without major renovations.”
The university has also taken steps toward updating the Old Pohl Gymnasium, which houses a pool. Because the gymnasium is a historic building, Lowery said MUW is working with Mississippi Department of Archives and History to determine what work they’re allowed to do.
“Our hope is that we can utilize the space fully without having to restore the pool,” she said. “If we can utilize it … we would like to use it for the expansion of nursing.”
If MDAH allows the university to reutilize the pool space — the school’s primary pool is in the Stark Recreation building — the plan is to move one of the nursing programs into the building. Currently, the three nursing degree programs are all housed in Martin Hall, where there’s little room to expand, Lowery said.
“(Relocating one department) would allow them room to grow,” she said. “They’ve grown their (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program by 10% in the last five years, but they could grow it even more if they had more space.”
Lowrey said expanding the nursing program is a project that can’t wait. If the space in Old Pohl Gymnasium can’t be reutilized, the nursing department has applied for a $8 million federal Health Resources and Services Administration grant that, combined with the reauthorized $2.4 million from 2022, would fund the construction of a new building for nursing.
Outside of major renovations and expansions, Lowery said there are a number of capital needs and general repairs the university has to keep up with.
“We always have things that are surprises,” she said.
Miller said in a typical year, The W’s facilities need between half a million and $750,000 worth of HVAC repairs. The university’s data center in McDevitt Hall is also in need of an update, including a new HVAC unit, generator and updated fire suppression system. Those repairs will fall under the general support funding from the appropriation.
Lowrey said prioritizing which projects and repairs are done first is tricky, especially when landmark buildings are added into the mix. For now, the university is doing what they can where they can, she said.
“We always have more needs than we have money for, so it’s really just doing what we can and trying to keep things moving,” she said.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
