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In order to house both arms of the Office of Institutional Advancement and Foundation and Alumni Relations, Kent State University is spending $6.5 million for the new Institutional Development Building.

Gene Finn, vice president of the Office of Institutional Advancement and Foundation, could not be contacted to comment on how this building will be funded.

This development will serve to provide a united front for both departments, which will allow the staff to work more efficiently. The building will create office space, meeting rooms and event space, as well.

“The two branches are in different buildings across campus, and the numbers of staff have been increasing as Kent increases,” said Michael Bruder, Kent State’s director of Design and Construction for the Office of the University Architect. The location for the building is not finalized.

“We are considering a couple different sites, but we are not quite ready to go public with that information,” Bruder said.

As far as when it will be finished, Bruder said “We do not have an exact date, but probably 15 to 18 months away if they continue to move at their current pace.”

Many more million dollar academic renovations will take place in the coming year, which will be paid for by credit “overload” fees requiring students to pay extra for every credit hour over 17 they take.

“There are quite a few projects that are going to be affecting a lot of buildings,” Bruder said. “[Kent Statae’s plans] are certainly going to be transformative. We would like to do a complete overhaul. I don’t think we will get as far as we would like to, but we will make a significant difference.”

Some students said they are confused about how the building will be financed. Cassandra Baxter, a freshman nursing major, said “For a hike in credit fees, I don’t think it’s a good idea. I am out-of-state, and tuition is already expensive enough as it is.”

Dana Mowls, a second-year graduate student majoring in Public Health, said she thinks the building is a good business decision.

“People forget it’s a business. Alumni donate to make the University prosper, so this building is a good investment to make … $6.5 million seems like a lot of money but coming from 30,000 students, that’s the bigger picture,” she said.

Contact Christina Bucciere at [email protected].