Regents approve Undergradute Academic Center plans

Posted by University News Service
Nov. 20, 2009

            Regents of the Texas State University System Friday approved the design of a proposed Undergraduate Academic Center at Texas State University-San Marcos, and construction is expected to begin in June.

            The $47.7 million, 130,000 square foot structure will be built at the intersection of Guadalupe and Wood streets, across from the Evans Liberal Arts Building on the site of an existing parking lot.

            Construction is expected to be completed in the 2012 fall semester, with the center opening in time for the 2013 spring semester.

            The location of the building is the south gateway to the academic center of the Texas State campus. It will support freshman academics and bring key student support services under one roof.

            The center will house the departments of Psychology, Political Science and Sociology. It will also be home to the university’s Personalized Academic and Career Exploration (PACE) Center, the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan (associated with the university’s reaffirmation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools), the University College, University Seminar and the Texas Success Initiative Program.

            A classroom wing will include general classrooms on three levels and a coffee house at the Bobcat Mall gateway entrance of the building.

            The PACE Center is a new initiative at Texas State designed to enable freshmen to focus their academic and career goals by assessing their interests and abilities, exploring the future of the work world, and choosing appropriate pathways and opportunities. PACE will serve as a one-stop location for personalized freshman advising, career planning and mentoring.

            Construction of the Undergraduate Academic Center will be funded primarily through tuition revenue bonds, with additional funding coming from Higher Education Assistance Funds and auxiliary enterprise reserves.

            The TSUS regents met Thursday and Friday, Nov. 19 and 20, in Beaumont on the campus of Lamar University.

            The Texas State University System is the oldest multi-campus system in Texas and plays a critical role in the educational and economic development of the state. Its eight component institutions are Texas State University-San Marcos, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, Sul Ross State University, Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College, Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State College-Orange and Lamar State College-Port Arthur.