Jill Smith
Contributing Writer
[email protected]

Major renovations are underway on Murray State’s campus after the Board of Regents approved a $12.3 million budget for construction improvements on June 4.

These renovations are in Lovett Auditorium, Wilson Hall, Wells Hall and the Curris Center.

Shawn Touney, executive director of marketing and communication, said this $12.3 million is part of a campus improvement plan and bond insurance.

Touney said these funds and funds designated specifically to look at deferred maintenance needs, are being used for improvements and renovations. 

Renovations in Lovett Auditorium began in the spring of 2021.

Dean of The College of Humanities and Fine Arts David Balthrop said the Lovett Auditorium renovations are being done at different phases.

“Phase one was to remove the air conditioning units that are on the stage and install a new HVAC underneath the stage and the old art sculpture area,” Balthrop said.

Jason Youngblood, director of facilities management, said they hope phase one of the Lovett renovations will be completed sometime in October.

Balthrop said one of the biggest issues with Lovett was the way the HVAC units were filtering air.

“Previously all the air units were handling air from the top down,” Balthrop said. “Now the new unit brings in the air from the bottom up.”

Balthrop said phase two will include visible changes while phase one was mostly mechanical.

“Phase two is going to include things like stage curtains, draperies in the actual auditorium and new windows,” Balthrop said. “It’s more of the things people will notice when they walk into the building.”

In addition to the funding approved by the Board of Regents, the Office of Development coordinated the “Show Us How You Lovett” campaign to raise additional money for the renovations.

This campaign encourages alumni to purchase “naming rights” to the new seats in the Trustee’s Hall.

Balthrop said these seats are being manufactured individually and will reflect the emblem from the original chairs.

“President Jackson wanted to retain that [emblem] for the new seating, so all the seats were taken out and all those end-caps were taken off,” Balthrop said. “Those end-caps are going to be used on the new seating that goes in.” 

Touney said the Trustee’s Hall is named in honor of the current Board of Trustees after receiving a generous donation.

“The Board voted to accept a gift of $500,000 from the Murray State University Foundation, Inc. for funding assistance with Lovett Auditorium,” Touney said.

Balthrop said there is no opening date as of now, but he could see the space opening up in the spring. He said it all depends on materials and funding.

“That’s totally going to depend on things we have no control over,” Balthrop said. Nobody has control over when we get the windows, how long it will take to manufacture and get the drapes here.”

Windows in Wilson Hall and Wells Hall are set to be replaced sometime later this semester. 

Youngblood said the windows are original to the buildings and are causing problems with retaining heat and air.

“They are all single-pane glass, very energy inefficient,” Youngblood said. “Obviously sunlight comes through and fades and heats the building up.”

Youngblood said the University hopes replacing the windows will save money in the long run.

“There was an energy analysis done early on to try to get us a number that says this is how much we expect to save by changing these windows and what would our return on that investment be,” Youngblood said. “It wasn’t a significant amount, just because the buildings are so old themselves you can put the best window in, but the rest of the wall might not be energy efficient.”

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Curris Center is getting a major remodel.

Youngblood said ideas for improving the Curris Center started several years ago and it is time for the building to have a refresh.

“We want to make it more vibrant and student friendly, more inviting for our incoming students and parents that come to campus,” Youngblood said. “That’s where their Murray State experience starts; at the Curris Center.”

Youngblood said a lot of improvements have been made outside of the Curris Center, including parking and the Racer One monument, but the University is working to improve the common spaces inside the student center. These plans include new flooring, wall finishes, acoustical treatments and furniture.

Youngblood said there is a need for more meeting spaces in the Curris Center for organizations.

“There are four hotel rooms in the back hallway [on the third floor] that most people don’t even know exist,” Youngblood said. “Those rooms have been under-utilized, and we are talking about gutting those out and making those into larger meeting spaces.”

Youngblood said there are plans to improve the Center for Student Involvement and find a space in the Curris Center for e-Sports.

“We’ve made some changes where we have moved the main function of the post office out of the Curris Center but all the P.O boxes are still there,” Youngblood said. “Their use could be changed a little bit to where they can be virtual mailboxes, like the Amazon lockers.”

E-Sports manager, Jacob Mitchell, said he is looking forward to having a space for the organization inside.

“We are kind of hidden away in the IT building, so if recruitment is taking tours around the Curris Center…and if we are in the old post office area, it would get so much interest and support,” Mitchell said.

Youngblood said they anticipate this renovation to take at least 12 months with a start date during the Spring 2022 semester.