Murray State University’s Board of Regents broke ground for a future learning commons and residential hall on the far western Kentucky school’s campus Friday.
The more than 80,000 square foot commons and housing building will be the first learning commons to be built by Murray State in the past decade.
The building – which is being built on the site of the former Springer residential hall – will include student success areas, a large classroom able to fit 120 people, support areas and over 250 beds dispersed throughout the four-story building. The new building’s first floor will also house a new dining area with counter service. The commons areas will be accessible for all Murray State students.
A completion date for the building was not announced.
Meanwhile, construction of the new School of Nursing building – also known as Jackson Hall – is continuing to progress. Currently, 90% of the building’s footing is complete. Demolition at College Courts is also ongoing.
During Friday’s meeting, the school’s leadership also disclosed the reason for February’s campus power outage, a major athletics hire and continued efforts to expand Murray State’s veterinary medicine and medical offerings.
That outage, which forced over 400 students to relocate from Regents and White Halls, was caused by a lightning strike that melted a crucial copper conductor wire.
Regent Tim Waldrop said that this could have happened to the conductor at any point after its installation.
Some students were displaced for as long as a week while university officials worked to remedy the outage.
The board also approved the contract for the school’s new head coach of the men’s basketball program Friday. Ryan Miller, the former assistant coach of the Creighton Bluejays, was formally introduced as the 18th coach of Murray State men’s basketball during the meeting.
Several Kentucky legislative bills that would have allowed MSU to pursue the hands-on model for the school failed after drawing concern from legislators and veterinary professionals. MSU president Bob Jackson announced during Friday’s meeting that a new task force will be appointed Monday for the proposed school of veterinary medicine. This comes in the wake of the passage of Senate Bill 77 by the Kentucky legislature earlier this month. The bill grants the Council on Postsecondary Education the authority to approve new doctoral programs at comprehensive universities. Gov. Andy Beshear signed the measure into law last week.
Another task force, aimed at developing a partnership medical program between the University of Louisville and Murray State will be led by Provost Tim Todd.
The next meeting of the Board of Regents will take place on June 6.
