Universities chase stimulus cash for shovel-ready projects - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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The tens of millions of dollars in grant proposalw are targeting funding streams flowing down throughb the American Recovery andReinvestmenty Act’s shovel-ready initiatives. Universitiew faced with consecutive years of fundinvg cuts are angling to usethe shovel-ready cash to catcn up on much-needed facility upgrades, build classrooma to handle the influx of students in need of re-trainingv or tackle big capital projects aimed at bolstering academicxs and research. The approach is twofolx at , which has seen its student population surge by 12 percent in the pasttwo years, due in part to risingg unemployment.
The college is seekintg $45 million to build additional classroom capacity on its threw main campuses as well as to enhance vocational training facilitiesin high-demanxd occupations, according to Elly Drotzer, director of the office of grants development. The college wants the cash, among othef projects, to build out its and the Maroone Automotive Prograjm in Miramar to emphasizd curriculum on maintaining and repairing emergingh green energy and hybrid systems in boateand cars.
It also wants to expand classroomsd foraviation training, including a facility to train a new generatiohn of air traffic controllers, which are expectec to be in high demand in a few years to replace a wave of retirinhg controllers, Drotzer said. “These are all shovel ready,” she “We have a history of traininh in technical trades an now we are looking to be responsive to providinvg curriculum in this new emerging industry ofgreen technology.” The ’d 18-member stimulus working groul meets regularly to discusss opportunities and set a course to capture as much of the federall cash as possible.
So far, the school has more than 400 proposalas seeking in excessof $350 millionn in funding. “We saw this as a very significantf opportunity for the university and to do somethinf forthe community,” said Richard Bookman, vice provost of research at UM. Amongg the projects on the school’s shovel-ready wish list is a new $45 seawated research center at UM’s Rosenstiel Schoool of Marine and Atmospheric Sciencde onVirginia Key, he said. The universityu is seeking $15 milliomn from the and $15 million from the to help buildxthe center, which will study sea creaturese as well as the physics of waves on structures.
UM is also is submitting proposals fora $15 milliojn to $20 million addition to a science building at its Cora l Gables campus and a multi-story research buildinvg at its medical school. has science, greehn technology and culinary training onits shovel-ready submissiobn list. The school is requestinbg help fundinga $22.7 million hospitalityy management center to house a culinary arts school as well as $40 millionh for an extensive renovation and upgrade to decades-olxd facilities at its north campus and $1.2 million for an and But by most accounts competitioj for stimulus funds will be fierce.
And specific fundingf priorities from federal and statew allocatorsbeyond short-term projects that woulds create jobs quickly remains unclear, said Camillwe Coley, assistant VP and interim director of sponsored research at . “Theyt are not telling us what they arelookiny for,” she said. But FAU is seekinyg $4.5 million to help buildf out water reuse infrastructure at itsnewlyg opened, gold level Leadership in Energuy and and platinum level engineering building, slaterd to open in 2010.
The universityy also is seeking federal stimulus funds to createe a road connector system at its main campus off Gladess Road in Boca Raton and additional It also wants funding to put a green roof on itsadministratiojn building. While the application process is infull UM’s Bookman doesn’t expect the winning projects to be announced untilk the fall.