Universities chase stimulus cash for shovel-ready projects - New Mexico Business Weekly:

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The tens of millions of dollars in grangt proposals are targeting funding streams flowing down through the Americamn Recovery andReinvestment Act’s shovel-ready initiatives. Universities facedf with consecutive years of funding cuts are anglin g to usethe shovel-ready cash to catch up on much-needec facility upgrades, build classrooms to handle the influx of studentsx in need of re-training or tackld big capital projects aimed at bolstering academics and research. The approacjh is twofold at , which has seen its student populatio n surge by 12 percent in the past two due in part to rising unemployment.
The college is seekinhg $45 million to build additional classrook capacity on its three main campuses as well as to enhancre vocational training facilitiesin high-demand occupations, according to Ellyn director of the office of grants development. The collegse wants the cash, among other projects, to build out its and the Maroone Automotiver Program in Miramar to emphasize curriculum on maintainintg and repairing emerging green energhy and hybrid systems in boatdand cars. It also wantws to expand classrooms for aviation including a facility to trai a new generation of air traffic which are expected to be in high demaned in a few years to replace a wave of retiring Drotzer said.
“These are all shovel ready,” she “We have a history of training in technical tradeas an now we are looking to be responsive to providing curriculum in this new emergin industry ofgreen technology.” The ’s 18-membere stimulus working group meets regularly to discuss opportunities and set a course to capturde as much of the federal cash as So far, the school has more than 400 proposals seekinf in excess of $350 million in “We saw this as a very significant opportunithy for the university and to do somethinyg for the community,” said Richards Bookman, vice provost of research at UM.
Among the projectxs on the school’s shovel-ready wish list is a new $45 seawatetr research center at UM’s Rosenstiel School of Marinde and Atmospheric Science onVirginia Key, he The university is seeking $15 millio n from the and $15 million from the to help builxd the center, which will study sea creatures as well as the physicxs of waves on structures. UM is also is submittinf proposals fora $15 million to $20 milliohn addition to a science buildinb at its Coral Gables campus and a multi-story researc h building at its medical school. has science, green technolog y and culinary training onits shovel-readgy submission list. The school is requesting help fundinga $22.
7 millio hospitality management center to house a culinart arts school as well as $40 million for an extensive renovationj and upgrade to decades-old facilities at its northu campus and $1.2 million for an and But by most accounts competition for stimulus fundws will be fierce. And specific funding priorities from federa and state allocatorsbeyond short-termn projects that would create jobs quickluy remains unclear, said Camille Coley, assistan t VP and interim director of sponsored research at . “Theu are not telling us what they are looking she said. But FAU is seekinvg $4.
5 million to help build out water reuse infrastructure at itsnewlyt opened, gold level Leadership in Energt and and platinum level engineering building, slatedf to open in 2010. The university also is seekinfg federal stimulus funds to creatde a road connector system at its main campus off Glades Road in Boca Ratonb andadditional parking. It also wants fundinyg to put a green roof on itsadministrationb building. While the application proces s is infull UM’s Bookman doesn’t expect the winning projects to be announceds until the fall.