Cline Construction Group (CCG) of Little Rock will perform a renovation designed to transform one section of the Hull Physical Education Building into a student union space at Arkansas Tech University.
CCG received a $3,485,952 construction contract from the ATU Board of Trustees during a regularly scheduled meeting at Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center on Thursday, Dec. 19.
Funding for the project will come from student fees dedicated to the project, ATU’s educational and general unappropriated fund balance and the university’s food services reserve.
Construction on the Hull Building remodel will begin in early 2020 with completion anticipated during the fall 2020 semester.
Once finished, the Hull Building student union will include a banquet hall, gaming area, student lounge and catering kitchen. The university will remodel 17,000 square feet of interior space as result of the renovation.
In other business on Thursday, the ATU Board of Trustees approved:
*a letter of notification deleting the Master of Engineering degree, which has been replaced by discipline-specific graduate programs in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering;
*a letter of notification deleting the physical science and Earth science for teacher licensure program, a move that further aligns ATU College of Education curriculum with licensure requirements established by the Arkansas Department of Education;
*investing $21,538 in grant funding from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration Office of Intergovernmental Services in interview documentation equipment for the ATU Department of Public Safety;
*designation of thelink.atu.edu as the official site for notification of student activities at ATU;
*a new logo for academic purposes at ATU;
*and a transfer of $213,981 from unappropriated funds to cover the costs of needed upholstery repair, educational equipment, supplies, tools and furniture at Arkansas Tech Career Center.
In personnel matters, the board approved the employment of the following new, full-time employees:
*Dr. Jeffrey D. Cass, dean for the ATU College of Arts and Humanities and professor of English, effective Jan. 7, 2020; Dr. Chad L. Harwood, assistant professor of accounting, for the 2020-21 academic year; Katelynn Hopson, visiting instructor of accounting, for the spring 2020 semester; Durena Long, endowment financial analyst, effective Sept. 1, 2019; Shelby Norman, coordinator of multicultural support, effective Jan. 6, 2020; Regina Storment, coordinator for housing administration, effective Oct. 14, 2019; and Kelse Tennison, visiting workforce education faculty in welding technology, effective Nov. 1, 2019.
Trustees accepted the following resignations by full-time ATU employees:
*Nathan George, director of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center regional office at ATU, effective Dec. 31, 2019; Dr. Angelina Perrotti, assistant professor of anthropology, effective May 16, 2020; Anita Riddley, administrative specialist III in the ATU Department of Public Safety, effective Jan. 2, 2020; Dr. Sarah Stein, assistant professor of English, effective Dec. 31, 2019; Dr. Lisa Toms, professor of marketing, effective Dec. 31, 2019; and Patsy Ward, workforce education faculty in mathematics, effective Dec. 11, 2019.
Trustees approved a retirement request from Dr. Rebecca Burris, professor of nursing and head of the ATU Department of Nursing. Burris has served on the ATU faculty since 1991. She will retire Aug. 31, 2020.
