Indiana State University Newsroom

Indiana State University officials are moving forward with plans to renovate the campus' oldest academic building to serve as the Center for Student Success.

Indiana State's board of trustees on Friday authorized the university administration to seek state approval to spend up to $16 million to renovate Normal Hall to house University College and Student Academic Services in a single, central location.

"This renovation will return Normal Hall to its rightful place in the center of campus life," said university President Dan Bradley. "When completed, the project will provide a valuable new resource to students while preserving and re-energizing a significant historic structure in the heart of campus."

Dedicated in 1910, the neo-classical building, constructed of Indiana limestone, served as Indiana State's library until 1973. Since the opening of Cunningham Memorial Library, Normal Hall has served a variety of purposes, most recently as storage and office space for the Permanent Art Collection, University Archives and other offices.

The building originally featured a rotunda with a grand staircase and stained-glass dome. Those features will be recreated as part of the renovation, which will also include new classrooms, mentoring and tutoring areas, interview suites and offices as well as new heating, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical and data systems. A "stack" addition constructed in 1955 will be removed and replaced with a transparent glass addition to meet accessibility requirements and provide space for an elevator, restrooms and stairwells.

The 2013-15 state budget passed by the Indiana General Assembly and signed by Gov. Mike Pence includes funding for the Normal Hall renovation. However, the Commission for Higher Education, the State Budget Committee and the governor must grant university officials the authority to spend the money.

"We appreciate the inclusion of this important project in the biennial state budget and ask for continued support of the legislature and governor," Bradley said. "Dedicating Normal Hall to student success will send a clear message of excellence to students, parents and taxpayers and to the corporate community."

The renovation is scheduled for completion in summer 2015, said Diann McKee, vice president for business affairs and finance. 

In another move aimed at honoring tradition, Indiana State trustees approved Reeve Hall as the name for a new residence hall under construction on the campus' north side. The name honors Helen Reeve, who served as women's residence hall director and dean of women in the mid-1900s. The former Women's Residence Hall on the southeast side of campus bore Reeve's name from 1959 until it was razed in 1998.

In other action Friday, Indiana State trustees:

• Approved a revised policy aimed at controlling textbook costs, a change the university administration and Faculty Senate developed jointly during the summer

• Authorized the university president and treasurer to develop a plan of financing and obtain state approval to issue $4.5 million in bonds for the final phase of life science/chemistry lab renovations

• Approved a name change for the Office of Affirmative Action to the Office of Equal Opportunity to more accurately reflect the work the office performs

• Approved a contract amendment with Sodexo Services of Indiana to reflect recent changes in meal plans and ownership of point-of-sale systems for Payment Card Industry standards

• Authorized the donation of property to the Indiana Department of Transportation to provide access from U.S. 41 to a campus parking lot at Fourth Street and Lafayette Ave.

• Approved the sale of two university-owned lots north of campus to H & H Realty

• Approved naming the lobby of the Norma and William Grosjean Clinic at University Hall the Dr. Michele C. Boyer Clinic Reception Foyer in recognition of Boyer's 25 years of service to the Bayh College of Education and her vision in developing the unified clinic

• Approved an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for retired businessman Michael Simmons of Brownsburg, a 1964 Indiana State graduate and donor to the university

• Agreed to seek comment from the university community on a proposed records retention policy that provides a formal framework for retention schedules

• Approved an amendment to trustee bylaws concerning the scheduling of the board's annual organizational meeting and retreat

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/photos/i-MZVWkv8/0/D/i-MZVWkv8-D.jpg - Architect's rendering of the proposed renovation of Indiana State University's Normal Hall to serve as the new home of the Center for Student Success.

Media contact and writer: Dave Taylor, media relations director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3743 or dave.taylor@indstate.edu