August 12, 2003

BOISE STATE BREAKS GROUND ON WEST CAMPUS ACADEMIC BUILDING

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Boise State University held a formal groundbreaking ceremony today to kick off construction of the first academic building on the new Boise State-West campus in Nampa. Boise State President Bob Kustra and Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne were featured speakers. “Today’s groundbreaking signifies a major step in the history of Boise State,” Kustra said. “When this building is complete, it will greatly expand our academic offerings in Canyon County and enhance our ability to better serve the educational needs of the Treasure Valley.” The building will be constructed on the 150-acre campus north of the Idaho Center off Can-Ada Road. When completed in December 2004, the 65,600-square-foot academic building will house classrooms, science laboratories, student services, a library, a bookstore and more. The new campus is being designed to meet the needs of a growing number of students in Canyon County and beyond. The number of students enrolled in academic programs at the current Canyon County Center in Nampa doubled between 1999 and 2003. More than 1,800 students are enrolled this fall. In addition, students enrolled in adult basic education is up 79 percent and applied technology programs also have grown. In all, the center served more than 6,000 students this past year in for-credit and non-credit programs. “We are truly full and we will have to turn away students this fall because of a lack of space,” Canyon County Center Director Dennis Griffin said, When the new building is complete, all academic programs will be moved to the new campus, freeing up space at the Canyon County Center on Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard for expanding applied technology programs. The academic building will include: a lecture hall; 14 classrooms (including a computer classroom); two distance learning classrooms; three teaching laboratories; lab prep rooms for biology, chemistry and physics; a general computer lab; a branch library; faculty offices; limited administrative offices; two conference rooms; five student services offices, a self-service center, a branch bookstore and study lounges. Planning for the $8.7 million academic building has been in the works for several years. Final approval was given in May when the Idaho Legislature authorized the sale of long-term bonds by the State Building Authority to pay for a variety of state projects, including the Boise State-West campus building. -30- Contact John Franden Boise State executive assistant to the president 426-1535 Media Contact Sherry Squires Boise State communications and marketing  426-1563 kcraven@boisestate.edu

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