PHOENIX - In a unanimous decision July 3, the Arizona Board of Regents approved a one-year sublease to house the Arizona International Campus of the UA.

The decision came during a 10-minute special meeting via conference call. Regents John Munger and Don Ulrich did not participate.

The new campus will be located in Building 40 at the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park. The board currently owns the space, but leases it to the Arizona Research Park Authority. ARPA subleases it to IBM, which is willing to lease the first floor of Building 40 to house AIC.

IBM will lease the 58,271-square-foot area to Campus Research Corp., the entity affiliated with the UA which oversees the Science and Technology Park, for $349,626, or $6 per square foot. IBM will also make $99,060 in common service expenses, plus operation costs and utilities.

The lease is effective for one year, during which negotiations will take place between IBM and Campus Research Corp.

"We will try to acquire the whole building, which is about 115,000 square feet," said Celestino Fernandez, provost and executive vice president of AIC. However, he said the need for the whole building will not be necessary for several years. AIC currently has about 40 students enrolled, with a maximum capacity of 5,000.

AIC, which begins classes this fall, was developed as a "small, personalized liberal arts institution with classes no larger than 28 students," Fernandez said. That facility includes a classroom, library, computer lab and student activity and office space.