News-Record.com

GREENSBORO — The new state budget approved by Gov. Mike Easley will mean more classrooms, research and a horse barn for the city’s public universities.

The General Assembly approved more than $2.68 billion for the 16 schools in the UNC system, including $26.8 million in new spending after adjustments.

Greensboro’s two public universities, UNCG and N.C. A&T, are to receive more than a third of that.

The Gateway University Research Park, a partnership between UNCG and A&T and home to the future Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, received $3 million. A joint data center received $1.8 million. The data center will provide computer server space for A&T, UNCG, the nanotech school and possibly any other facilities that locate to the research park’s southern campus.

“We were extremely pleased that the legislature responded to the nanotech school,” said Rob Nelson, vice president of finance for the UNC system. “We feel like that was a really important appropriation.”

The center is expected to cost about $46 million, said Donna Heath, UNCG associate vice chancellor of information technology.

Studies found A&T has maxed out its current data center, and UNCG is expected to reach its limit by 2011, Heath said.

Both schools say the data center is key as they increase research. Research and its impact on economic development has become a focus for the state universities under UNC President Erskine Bowles.

That focus is reflected elsewhere in the budget; several million dollars are allotted for faculty and graduate student retention and recruitment and establishing a research competitiveness fund.

A&T also received $2.4 million to build a horse barn as part of the Horse Park of the South, an equestrian center being developed by Rockingham County and Reidsville.

The project received $1 million from the General Assembly in 2005 and more than $1.5 million from the Golden Leaf Foundation along with nearly $700,000 from local government, but has since struggled to find additional funding.

The project is the brainchild of County Manager Tom Robinson. Robinson said the allocation to A&T shows there is still interest in the project.

“It definitely makes a big statement, that we have a lot of interest both regionally and at the state level for this economic development project,” Robinson said.

Alton Thompson, A&T interim provost, said the school was looking to expand its equestrian course offerings. A&T currently owns two horses but spent the past several years considering building a large horse barn for instruction. Thompson said that the two groups finding each other was a stroke of luck.

The state funding will pay for design and construction, but Thompson is unsure how large the facility will be. The equestrian center will be on property outside Reidsville but both Thompson and Robinson said it will take more money to get the project under way. Funding, they believe, will come easier now that the two are partners.

Also in this year’s budget, UNCG and A&T were awarded their final installments for new classroom buildings. UNCG received $42.7 million to build a new home for the school of education.

The new building is expected to open in July 2011, said Davis B. Lumpkin, associate vice chancellor of facilities management.

Once empty, UNCG will renovate the Curry Building, the school of education’s current home.

The new school of education will be on the north side of Spring Garden Street, next to the Bryan School of Business. The site is now a parking lot.A&T is also budgeted for $20.5 million to build a new classroom building.

Robert Pompey, vice chancellor of business and finance, said the new building will be a general-use-classroom building and include academic offices.

“We just don’t have the space for the number of students we have,” Pompey said.

The new building will be near the center of campus and is expected to be completed by spring of 2010.

A&T also received $2 million for its engineering school for additional faculty and equipment.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com