O'Malley leaves funding for Toll, Tawes out of budget

Gov. Martin O'Malley surprised university officials by leaving out funding for two of the university's major construction projects in his $1.47 billion proposed capital budget.

Though O'Malley kept campaign promises by proposing to freeze tuition and allocate more money for need-based financial aid, some university officials were shocked that funds for constructing a new John S. Toll Physics Building and renovating the Tawes Fine Arts Building - top priorities for which they have lobbied legislators for years - weren't included in the proposed money allocation to the university for construction projects.

"There was no reason to expect the projects wouldn't be on the list," said university Provost Bill Destler, because legislators have made the issue a bigger priority in recent years.

The university had requested money for several construction projects on the campus, including $3.4 million for the physics building and $28.8 million for Tawes, but only received $5 million that had been requested for a new journalism building, said Carlo Colella, director of architecture, engineering and construction.

Destler called the projects the university's "two highest priorities." Faculty and student recruitment are often hindered by dilapidated and out-of-date facilities, Destler said, particularly in scientific fields such as physics where equipment must be cutting-edge.

"Currently, the physics building is in a dire state of disrepair," Destler said. "It is not able to support modern physics research. It's hard to recruit the best physics faculty and graduate students to a facility that won't support modern physics research."

Renovating Tawes was the university's largest request for this year's capital budget, which allocates funds for specific municipal projects, said Colella, making the deferral a "big set-back."

Securing the funds this year could prove difficult because Maryland law prevents legislators from adding funds for new items to the governor's proposed budget without trimming other areas of the budget. However, Destler and physics professor Steve Rolston said they will appeal to general assembly members anyway.

"We understand it's a political process, but we have to keep the pressure on to allow us to keep moving forward," said Rolston, who is also the department's chair of facilities and personnel. "It's really just approaching the state legislator more than anything and making sure that they are aware of the critical needs."

Rolston added that he struggles with the building's aging infrastructure on a daily basis. The leaking pipes, inadequate plumbing and temperamental heating and air conditioning system can be "quite disruptive," he said.

To make those challenges apparent, the university regularly tours legislators through the physics building to point out how desperately the building, which has remained in the same state since 1957, needs repairs.

"They always seem receptive to the message, but then when they go to Annapolis, they have a lot of other pressures and demands, so I think the key is to keep it fresh in their minds," Rolston said.

Rolston added that the physics program is currently ranked 13th in the country. But achieving the department's goal of breaking into the top 10 depends on the support of the General Assembly.

The $3.4 million the university requested for the project would allow an architect to continue the first stage of planning renovations. If those funds were reinstated, a goal Rolston said may still be attainable this year, construction could begin in about two or three years.

The $28.8 million funding request for renovation of Tawes has also been deferred, potentially delaying renovations for a year on a project that has been deferred multiple times in the past, Colella said. Completion of Tawes' final planning stage is scheduled for April and state funding would allow construction to begin as early as this summer, he said.

While both projects are top priorities for the university, funding for Tawes is "more critical" because if they wait until next year to begin renovations, construction costs will go up, and therefore, would require even more state money, Destler said.

The English department has been housed temporarily in Susquehanna Hall since 1990, where it was only supposed to stay for two years before moving back to Tawes. The long stay in Susquehanna is caused in part by the state's decision early in its renovations to only give funding to complete the first year of planning.

"The English department is a core Arts and Humanities unit, a unit with a rising national reputation," Destler said. "The ability to attract faculty and graduate students is affected by the failure of the university to provide adequate facilities for the department."

Contact reporters Steven Overly and Kaitlyn Seith at overlydbk@gmail.com.