A new provost and three major building projects were voted and approved at the spring meeting of the Andrews University Board of Trustees. Tuesday afternoon, March 2, President Niels-Erik Andreasen met with faculty and staff in Garber Auditorium where he gave a briefing of the Board’s actions.
 
Andreasen announced the appointment of Andrews’ new provost, Andrea Luxton. Luxton is currently serving as president of Canadian University College in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. According to Andreasen, the timeline for her arrival is yet to be determined. The news of her appointment was met with a round of applause from faculty and staff in attendance. 
 
The Board also voted and unanimously approved a financial plan for three building projects: construction of Buller Hall, construction of a new residence hall and a major renovation of Nethery Hall. The combined cost of all three projects is $17 million and will be paid for by debt financing combined with fundraising. The total sum includes a contingency of approximately $1 million.
Andreasen explained that Buller Hall and Nethery Hall will result in a new Undergraduate Learning Center. Although connected in philosophy, the two projects are on a separate budget. The Buller Hall project was originally projected to cost $9.4 million, though construction bids have come in at $8.6 million. Construction will begin May 2010 and completion is expected by May/June of 2011. Griggs Hall, which stands in the footprint of the new building, is scheduled for demolition at the beginning of May.
 
A new residence hall was approved to meet the growing housing needs of the student population. The new hall will be constructed as a companion tower to Burman Hall. When Burman Hall was originally built, the infrastructure was put in place to later add a second tower. The cost is $5.8 million and construction is scheduled to begin in April, lasting approximately one year.

The Nethery Hall project, which will be the third project in the timeline, includes a major renovation with an approved cost of $3.2 million. It will begin in May of 2011 and be completed by August of the same year.
 
The 2011 University budget was also voted and approved. Andreasen noted that although milk revenue is increasing, it is still behind budget. The new budget will also cope with an increase in electricity costs, which were up $175,000 this year. Andreasen reported merit salary increases remained in the budget, but the special salary raise is on hold.  

The Board also approved a number of faculty and staff appointments:
Faculty Appointments
College of Arts & Sciences: Harvey Burnett, assistant professor of psychology; Eun-Young Kim, assistant professor of linguistics/TESL; Cindi Papendick, associate professor of psychiatric nursing; Kathryn Silva, assistant professor of history; Douglas Taylor, assistant professor of art
School of Business Administration: Leroy Ruhupatty, assistant professor of accounting

Promotion-in-Rank and Continuous Appointments
College of Arts & Sciences: Paul Petersen, chair, Department of Religion & Biblical Languages
School of Education: Rebecca Wright, supervising instructor
Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary: Stanley Patterson, chair, Department of Christian Ministry; John Reeve, editor, Journal of AU Seminary Studies; Kenneth Stout, professor emeritus, Department of Christian Ministry

Staff Appointments
Cherry Bayley, project manager, Office of Integrated Marketing & Communication; John Rorabeck, chief analyst, Berrien County Forensic Laboratory; Lizzy Salazar, graduate enrollment coordinator, Enrollment Management; Claudia Sowler, trust administration officer, Office of Trust Services

Change in Position Title
Daniel Bortz, network directory administrator, ITS; Dianne Wilson, technology support specialist, Dining Services

Retirements
Don Smith, Arboretum, 30 years of University service; Gary Gifford, Department of Leadership & Educational Administration, 6 years of University service; Gary Land, Department of History & Political Science, 40 years of University service; Albert McMullen, Department of Clinical & Laboratory Sciences, 21 years of University service

-Written by Keri Suarez, media relations specialist, Office of Integrated Marketing & Communication