MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees recently approved $13 million in funding for the first phase of their residence life infrastructure improvement plan.

It is the first of three phases in a $76 million plan that includes a number of campus and facility renovations.

“This project will significantly improve existing residence life facilities, construct new facilities and plan for future improvements,” said Barrie Wilkes, vice president for Finance and Administrative Services. “Every part of this project is focused on supporting the success of our students.”

Phase one will fund the following initiatives in 2019:

• Modernization of the North Residence Hall Complex
• Several South Residence Hall Complex projects, including the addition of interior access controls and improvements to sidewalks and pavement, exterior lighting, and mechanical systems
• Improved ventilation and exterior lighting enhancements in the East Residence Hall Complex

The first phase also includes demolition of Barnes Hall, which opened in 1951 and is the only remaining residence hall on campus with community bathrooms.

Kathleen Gardner, director of residence life, said decommissioning a residence hall always brings fond memories for alumni. In this case, that includes Leader Advancement Scholars, whose living and learning community has been in Barnes.

“Barnes Hall has been a great home to thousands of students during their time at CMU. There are strong ties to a building where lifelong friendships were formed and memories were made,” said Gardner. “This is a time to celebrate the history of Barnes as we also look to evolve our residence life program for generations to come.”

Additional phases of the project — anticipated for 2020 and 2021 — include:

• Modernization of the Merrill and Robinson residential restaurants
• Construction of a North Campus Wellness Center
• Creation of a Central Plaza green space between Sweeney and Thorpe halls
• Construction of a new parking lot south of Broomfield Road
• Planning for the demolition and replacement of Northwest Apartments and Kewadin Village

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The new school, called the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Magnet High School at Pellissippi State, will gear high school students for college by allowing them to take college courses that would count towards an associate’s degree. The school will focus on four different career areas: teacher preparations, homeland security, sustainable living and advanced manufacturing.

The school board approved a plan back in September to allocate almost $4 million to the new magnet high school, which is scheduled to open in fall 2014.

The goal of the curriculum is to teach Knoxville-area students the skills required for high-demand occupations. In June, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported that the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce helped in the planning of the magnet school’s curriculum in hopes that the school will help attract high-paying employers to the area.

The chamber of commerce surveyed about 50 employers to help develop the program. The advanced manufacturing cluster, for instance, will have two paths of study — a maintenance technician path, with classes dealing with electrical, mechanical and machinist fields; and an operating technician path, dealing with lean manufacturing/quality systems and robotics/automation. The classes will be designed to give students about 90 percent of the knowledge they will need for any advanced manufacturing job, with the idea that employers will customize the rest of their training to fit the operation. The Knoxville News Sentinel also reported that the chamber of commerce plans to work with Pellissippi State to develop a “mega lab” with all the equipment students will need for their classes.

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