For students seeing the FAU campuses for the first time, all the construction work can be intimidating and confusing.
Students need not fear, however, because FAU is continually upgrading its facilities to better serve the needs of its students.
The university’s plan is to continue to improve each campus to provide the best educational environment possible for its students and faculty, according to Facilities Planning Director Raymond Nelson.
FAU is constructing new facilities from its Broward county campuses all the way up to its Indian River county campuses, with the Boca Raton campus receiving the most additions. FAU is addressing the needs of all its students, from the new addition to the Slattery Day Care Center, to the Alzheimer’s Care and Research Center.
FAU has spent nearly 18 million dollars this year alone on its construction projects, and plans to spend over 150 million on new construction projects over the next five years, according to FAU’s Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan and Legislative Budget Request.
FAU receives funds for construction from several sources, including PECO, CITF, Challenge Grants and University Bonds.
PECO funds are those that come from state taxes on utilities, and are divided among the state’s universities.
The CITF is an addition to normal students’ tuition that goes directly to buildings that provide services specifically aimed at students.
Challenge grants are most often donations from individuals or businesses, which the state then matches. University bonds are simply bonds that the university sells for revenue then repays with income. For example, the new residence hall under construction was paid for with university bonds, which will be reimbursed with the income provide by students paying for housing.
Currently at FAU, there are 16 construction projects in either the design or construction phase. FAU’s Facilities Planning Department works with contractors and architects to budget, plan, design and build all of the new facilities. Among the projects currently under construction are: Parking Garage II; a new 600-bed residence hall; the Life Behavioral Sciences complex; Student Support Services building; DeSantis Center Pavilion; College of Business expansion and remodeling; expansion of Florida Atlantic Boulevard; and Jupiter campus library expansion.
