Cabinet highlights: Nov. 6, 2012

Science and Health Building rendering
Science and Health Building rendering
An exterior rendering of the proposed Science and Health Building, to be located east of Extended Campuses.

Plans for the five-story Science and Health building were unveiled by Agnes Drogi, director for Planning, Design and Construction in Facility Services. The V-shaped building will feature lecture halls, auditoriums, lab and office space and an atrium. It also will have a tunnel and bridge to connect it to the Science Lab facility. The current plans should earn at least a LEED silver rating.

The proposed building, to be located east of Extended Campuses, is the final SPEED project for NAU. It is expected to be presented to the Arizona Board of Regents in February, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Capital Review in March with construction expected to begin in April.

ABOR is discussing various policy changes, said President John Haeger. Among them is distribution of the fees students pay to the Arizona Students Association. After recent fallout from an ASA donation to the Prop 204 campaign, the regents are considering repealing the policy that allows the ASA to collect the fees through universities. Other policies changes—such as retirement contributions, health insurance and employment status—are being initiated by Arizona State University and will not pertain to NAU, Haeger said.

The president also mentioned a recent New York Times article discussing massive open online courses and other high-tech changes to higher education. He is encouraging discussions about these upcoming changes, such as competency-based learning, to determine what these changes will mean to the structure of the NAU campus. The president will address many of these issues at a campus forum Nov. 26.