Issue date: 10/28/09 Section: News

Media Credit: J.D. Swiger [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: J.D. Swiger [Click to enlarge]

Moving ahead with Vision 2020, Interim President R. Bowen Loftin announced the planning of a new four-story, 107,000-square foot arts and humanities building to be built in the center of campus.

"This is truly a historic day for the campus to launch a building which is long overdue and much needed," Loftin said. "A&M's history has been of course agriculture, engineering, science - in principle- we certainly have an liberal arts college we can be proud of, it covers the entire campus community. But it hasn't really had a home or focus. We're scattered across 12 buildings across campus."

The building, dedicated to arts and humanities, will house the English department and performing arts, among others.

"We've already spent some money on the design- now going through the conceptual design phases as well as schematical design phases of the building," Loftin said. "We're pretty far along right now as far as how the building will actually look and function."

Designs are not finalized and have not yet been released, and are expected in four to six months, Loftin said. A date has not been set for completion.

The construction of the building is expected to cost about $46 million, of which $20 million will be derived from the Permanent University Fund.

"It was on a priority list for funding back in 2007," Loftin said. "Dr. Murano, as president, put aside some bonding authority."

After recently refinancing some bonds at a lower rate, money was freed up to combine with money the University system had put aside to allow for the building to be constructed.

A collaborative effort of administrators, including Texas A&M System Chancellor Mike McKinney, set the plans into motion in the past two weeks, Loftin said.

"All together we scrapped together, literally scrapped together, funding required to make this building a reality," Loftin said.

Liberal Arts Dean Charles Johnson, who leaves his position of eight years to become senior associate vice president for research in the division of research and graduate studies Monday, also spoke at the ceremony.

"I'm deeply honored to have had this announcement occur while I'm dean, my last week as dean as a matter of fact," Johnson said. "We are excited about how this new building will enhance new faculty and student recruitment and programmatic development as we build upon Texas A&M's growing national and international reputation in the arts and humanities."

Johnson will be replaced by Liberal Arts Executive Associate Dean Ben Crouch, who played a vital part in putting the plan into action, Loftin said.

"Over the last eight years Dean Charlie Johnson has worked extremely hard," Loftin said. "By many measures, Dean Johnson, you had great success because Liberal Arts now has almost 7,000 students, 360 faculty members, $7.6 million this year coming in research funding."

Standing across from the Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, the building is expected to create comprehensive research in liberal arts, said Director of College Relations for the Dean of Liberal Arts Leanne South.

"It sends a clear message that A&M views itself as a comprehensive research university, which means it supports all the disciplines at Texas A&M," South said. "The location's conducive for collaborative scholarship work - for example performance studies would be near the architecture department which has a visualization program, and English will be next to history and the Glasscock Center so it invites collaborative research which can involve faculty and students."

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