LOGAN – Utah State University will ask for nearly $40 million from the legislature to fund a renovation building project and a space and defense research initiative during a Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee on Monday.
First, USU plans to present its financial request for a $28.5 million renovation and addition project for an existing 100-year old animal science building on Monday, Jan. 27 to lawmakers at the Utah State Capitol. It is a one-time legislative ask of $28,515,600. The university plans to partially fund the building from its dedicated fund with $18,069,100. Bringing to total project cost to $46,584,700.
USU says this project is crucial to develop next generation data, networking, and computing platforms to drive Utah’s 21st-century economy. This building project is the only one at a degree-granting institution approved by the Utah Board of Higher Education to pursue legislative funding.
The second budget request is for The Space & Defense Research Institute & Workforce Initiative. It is a collaborative partnership with Weber State University. The plan is to create a joint institute for accelerating insights, harnessing discovery, and delivering talent to support Hill Air Force Base, 47G, industry partners, and other national security assets in Utah, according to USU. The request will be for a one-time funding of $11,250,000 over three years, which would be shared by USU and WSU.
The university says the initiative capitalizes on USU’s space and defense research expertise and WSU’s longstanding relationships with key industry partners to create a pipeline of expertise and talent to the intelligence infrastructure in northern Utah.
The Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee begins at 8 a.m.