James Madison University

2002 General Obligation Bond Projects

 

Renovate Miller Hall -- $13.9 million

 

Miller Hall, built in 1972, is in dire need of extensive repairs to its major building systems.  Originally a science building, Miller Hall will be used to house programs in psychology, geology/environmental sciences and sociology/anthropology after its renovation. The Miller project is critical to the success of all the academic programs on the university's original campus.  Without renovation, Miller would remain mostly empty after the 2004 spring semester.  As presently configured, its obsolete and aged chemistry/physics laboratories cannot be used by other academic programs.  State Council of Higher Education studies show that JMU already has a deficit of instructional space.  Taking Miller Hall off line would only exacerbate an already serious space shortage.  Miller Hall is the key to JMU's entire Main Campus Renovation Master Plan.  Miller is the first of 11 academic buildings on the original campus requiring renovations.  The future space requirements of more than half of the university's academic departments depend upon this project leading the sequence.  Not only is its swing space needed for temporary relocations of faculty offices, but the master plan's series of domino-like moves means that the Miller project must proceed first in order to avoid expensive double relocations of many instructional facilities.