College presidents seek more than $200 million for new facilities

The annual procession of college presidents, who make their building pitches to lawmakers, is this year asking for more than $200 million in state funds to build new facilities.

The Capital Facilities and Administrative Services Appropriations Subcommittee wasn't ready Wednesday to prioritize 20 different projects throughout the state that require over $420 million, which includes $135 million for the capitol restoration project.

The big question for the University of Utah is whether it will finally be granted a request for nearly $48.5 million in state monies for the Marriott Library. The U. plans to add that money to $3 million in federal funds and almost $20 million in donations and institutional funds to pay for seismic upgrades, some renovating and a new book retrieval system at the library.

The State Board of Regents, which oversees public higher education, and the State Building Board ranked the U. library either one or two on their list of capital improvement projects.

Utah System of Higher Education officials made it a point to tell lawmakers that, from 1996 to 2004, institutions relied on $466 million in state funds and $948 million in non-state funds — over half of that was from donations — to fulfill their capital funding needs.