The Otterbein Board of Trustees approved a plan to spend $2.6 million out of reserves to continue facilities projects for the upcoming 2017-2018 school year.
The action was presented and approved at the board of trustees meeting on Saturday to keep up with repairs and new additions coming to Otterbein. Of the $2.6 million, $1.5 million will go toward The Point.
Deferred maintenance, which is the cost to keep Otterbein buildings up to date, went up about $14 million as of October 2016 from $100 million in October 2015 because of the addition of The Point. The new plan may address the deferred maintenance.
According to Rebecca Vazquez-Skillings, vice president of Business Affairs, the board first plans to finish projects that Otterbein has already started.
These projects include changes to various buildings around campus, including upgrades to Clements Hall, improvements the rigging and fire curtain in Cowan Hall, improvements to the seating and carpet in Battelle, classroom furniture replacement, general improvements to campus housing, safety improvements at the Rike Center and general maintenance.
The board also hosted a presentation from the Center for Student Success as an update on the center's work.
Kate Lehman, assistant dean for Student Success, said that they would start advising students for the transition from four to three-credit hour classes in the fall of 2018. The office was formed in 2010 to address the transition from quarters to semesters.
Two executive sessions took place before and after the meeting that was open to the public. A session held before the meeting is uncommon for the board of trustees.
Chairman Mark Thresher said that the board went over activities of the investment committee and an update on The Point.
