By
Shana Heiser
Arizona Daily Wildcat
New biomedical facility to be funded through Campaign Arizona, public funds
A string of construction projects were approved by the Arizona Board of Regents at their Friday meeting.
The UA president's report focused on construction of the Institute for Biomedical Science and Biotechnology, a "very ambitious undertaking," University of Arizona President Peter Likins said.
The building, which will be funded through Campaign Arizona contributions and public sources, will cost $60 million, Likins said.
The new building is critically important, Baldwin said. With the university's "culture of collaboration," departments and colleges will be able to further work together.
"Our focus in recent years has been to pull together faculty from many sectors of the university, such as engineering, pharmacy and science," Likins said.
With the changes occurring in the biological sciences worldwide, the UA needs to remain current, Baldwin said.
"Science and biology has become highly technologically driven and extremely valuable," said Tom Baldwin, biochemistry department head. "We have on this campus deep expertise. We really lack space in which these people can come together and share."
The Park Student Union renovation plans passed unanimously without discussion, finalizing the structural plans.
"It's a process which has included students from the beginning, which is important," said ASUA president Ben Graff.
In other business, the Highland District Site Preparation was also approved unanimously with little discussion, and the Agricultural Research Complex project was approved.
The Authority to Purchase Tucson Electric Power Property for $6.9 million proposal passed with an amendment, a proposed environmental clause.
"We need something a little bit stronger with environmental issues," Regent Hank Amos said.
The proposal to amend sick leave and bereavement leave received a first reading. Staff Advisory Council Vice President Gary Hansen defined the new policy as a change to the definition of family.
"Leave could be taken through form of sick leave for those (family members) not covered," Hansen said.
The university presidents were asked to comment on their respective mission statements, which Likins spoke briefly about the UA's mission and strategic planning for the future.
"We are remarkably accessible in comparison with higher institutions in other states," Likins said. "UA is substantially the most research-intensive of the three universities. We are clearly pre-eminent, somewhere in the top 20-25 research universities."
However, Likins said when the UA has a unique responsibility such as the optics department, the school must not abandon those responsibilities.
"The university developed some strengths on accident, because we recruit a professor who blossoms," Likins said, citing the Poetry Center, astronomy, geosciences, speech and hearing sciences, Management Information Systems and dance departments as strong examples.
