The University of ֱ at Lafayette is “managing more construction projects than at any time since before World War II,” its president said.
The announcement from Dr. Joseph Savoie came Aug. 21 during the State of the University, an annual presentation to faculty and staff members that marks the start of the academic year. Fall semester classes began Monday.
Through new construction, renovations and other improvements, UL Lafayette is enhancing its “environment of success” for students and employees, Savoie said. “We owe them facilities and a physical plant that meet and match their aspirations.”
The University is currently managing about $600 million in projects funded by a combination of state and private dollars, Savoie said. Additional state funding for deferred maintenance projects will enable the University to improve heating and cooling systems, upgrade elevators and enhance security in several buildings. O.K. Allen and Agnes Edwards halls, the Brook Street Annex and the ROTC Building will receive new roofs. Campus sidewalks will be repaired, and ADA-compliance upgrades will be made to several facilities.
The campus’ oldest buildings – Foster and DeClouet halls – will be renovated. Built at the turn of the 20th century, they house services that promote student success, including financial aid, student work study, and federal programs that support students from first-generation and underrepresented backgrounds.
Other ongoing construction projects include:
- Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium, a $65 million construction and renovation project to the home of ֱ Ragin’ Cajuns Football.
- The $55 million Engineering Student-Centered Collaborative Building that will be home to the Engineering Center of Excellence. In addition, the College of Engineering’s Madison Hall is being renovated.
- A new sciences classroom building that’s in the design phase. Montgomery and Billeaud halls, also in the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences, are also slated for renovation.
- The New Iberia Research Center is being upgraded to a level 3 biosafety facility.
- Plans continue for the renovation and opening of the new lab school in University Research Park under the direction of the College of Education & Human Development.
These projects, and others UL Lafayette is managing, reflect the University’s role as “a major engine for progress and economic growth,” Savoie said. “If students, parents, the public, alumni and community partners love our campus now and look to our facilities as points of pride and potential – just wait until they get a look at us in the years ahead.”
Savoie thanked legislative and state government leaders, donors and other friends “whose continued support is essential” to the campus’ continued physical growth and the success of its students.
In addition to updates on facilities projects, Savoie:
- announced that the University neared $226 million in funded research and development expenditures last year, the highest amount in University history.
- celebrated the largest externally funded grant in UL Lafayette history – $110 million as part of a federal and state program to give residents access to electricity and other vital services in times of natural disasters and other emergencies by deploying solar and battery microgrids in community hubs across the state.
- announced the largest single-year increase in graduate student funding in decades.
Photo caption: Dr. Joseph Savoie delivers the Fall 2024 State of the University on Aug. 21. Dr. Jaimie Hebert, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, is seated. (Photo credit: Doug Dugas/University of ֱ at Lafayette)