Louisiana State University

[richyb83]

Construction about to begin in February on a 750 car, 5-level parking garage across from the Student Union on Highland Road... Barnes & Noble will relocate from the Union to the 1st floor of the garage with twice the storage space...

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/latest/112140374.html

Edited December 22, 2010 by richyb83

[richyb83]

Dan posted annoncement about this way back in Oct 09'

A $33.9 million expansion to Choppin Hall, which houses the LSU chemistry department, is underway. The Choppin Hall Annex will be a five-story freestanding building east of the current building. The 85,348-square-foot building is slated for completion at the end of 2012. The annex will increase the amount of space the chemistry department occupies by 50%

*From Business Report Property of the Week

[richyb83]

LSU board approves plans for EA expansion, will add 200 jobs

The LSU Board of Supervisors approved plans for a new Digital Media Facility, which will allow Electronic Arts to expand employment at its North American Test Center. The LSU board voted today to go ahead and build a 94,000-square-foot facility on the university's main campus. Once the $28.2 million facility opens in 2012, EA will move from its location on LSU's South Campus. That will allow the facility to quickly go from about 400 jobs to more than 600 positions, including on-site contractors. The test center was anticipated to create 20 full-time jobs and 200 part-time jobs when it opened in 2008. The direct employment at the facility has increased to about 200 full-time positions, and there are 200 part-time jobs. "The new Digital Media Facility at LSU will not only enable EA's growth but it also will help us grow a thriving digital media industry in Baton Rouge and in other Louisiana communities so that we can continue to create good jobs for our people," says Gov. Bobby Jindal

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/latest/

[Antrell Williams]

Good, I like that EA is here.

[itsjustme3]

Good, I like that EA is here.

you mean "there".

You live in Houston.

[brodieseyes]

Why do I get the feeling that the parking garage is going to be a nightmare trying to get a spot in? Oh well. More parking ftw!

[richyb83]

The new home for LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business is under construction. The $60 million Business Education Complex is set to open in summer 2012. The 156,364-square foot complex will consist of a four story rotunda, two classroom and office pavilions and an auditorium/graduate student classroom structure. The Lemoine Company is the contractor and Coleman Partners Architects and ikon 5 architects handled the design

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/real-estate-weekly/latest/

[richyb83]

The new home for LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business is under construction. The $60 million Business Education Complex is set to open in summer 2012. The 156,364-square foot complex will consist of a four story rotunda, two classroom and office pavilions and an auditorium/graduate student classroom structure. The Lemoine Company is the contractor and Coleman Partners Architects and ikon 5 architects handled the design

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/real-estate-weekly/latest/

[steve3n8]

EA to break ground on testing center

The next time you see your kid transfixed by a video game and unable to put down the controller, don't brood. Your sunshine-leery child may have a valuable future right here in Baton Rouge. Later this morning, Gov. Bobby Jindal is slated to break ground on the Louisiana Digital Media Center on LSU's campus, which will be home to Electronic Art's North American Testing Center. EA is responsible for wildly popular lines like Madden NFL and Tiger Woods golf, and it will be sports titles like these that will play a major role in this new development. The testing center will be the only such outfit in the entire U.S. and will eventually create at least 200 part-time jobs for LSU students. When Jindal first brokered the deal in 2008, he laughingly called it a "dream job for some kids." Another 20 full-time jobs, possibly more, will be created as well. In working with Jindal, EA was able to take advantage of the state's Digital Media Tax Credit Program and score additional assistance from Louisiana Economic Development and city-parish government. Then there's the big picture: Video game sales in the U.S. represent a $10 billion industry with an anticipated annual growth rate of 10%. And Baton Rouge is now uniquely poised to compete for some of that business. The Louisiana Digital Media Center will be located in the southeastern corner of the campus, off of East Parker Boulevard, and it will take up more than 94,000 square feet. LSU's Center for Computation and Technology will also be housed there.

businessreport.com

[richyb83]

Good news! Sounds like a nice sized building too..should look cool next to the Emerging Technology Bldg!

[dan326]

Here's a rendering.

[richyb83]

Thanks for the rendering

Plenty happening in & around BR's Economic Engine...with 7 campus construction projects planned for this year!

Business Education Complex

The most striking of the new facilities is the Business Education Complex, located next to Patrick F. Taylor Hall.

Emmett David, director of planning, design and construction, said the complex will be visually stunning.

"The interpretation is of the Italian Renaissance style with clay tile roof and glass," David said. "It's a modern approach to our historic core."

The BEC will be 156,000 square feet and will include a four-story rotunda, classrooms, departmental offices and an auditorium.

Choppin Hall Annex

Improved lab facilities are being built directly east of Choppin Hall — between the Life Sciences Annex and the AgCenter's Knapp Hall — facing Highland Road in the five-story, state-of-the-art Choppin Hall Annex.

David said the $19 million annex is roughly 90,000 square feet with primary research and teaching laboratories supporting the College of Science. The facilities will include all current technologies, including vibration-sensitive microscopes and a number of research labs

Raphael Semmes Parking Garage and Bookstore

Possibly the most exciting addition to campus will be the parking garage and bookstore on Raphael Semmes Drive across from the Student Union.

http://www.lsureveil...-year-1.2618029

*with updated construction photo's in pic gallery

Edited September 1, 2011 by richyb83

[steve3n8]

New suites and terraces coming to Alex Box

Alex Box Stadium will have eight new suites and two new terrace areas when it opens next season, says Tiger Athletic Foundation Senior Vice President Rick Perry, adding a total of 176 new seats to the approximately 10,150 currently offered. "Construction is under way. They've got quite a bit of work done already, and they're scheduled to be complete by the coming season," says Perry, adding that the total expansion will cost just under $3 million.

All of the new suites will be the same size as the current ones, with 12 outdoor seats, two indoor seats, and room for two standing fans. Meanwhile, new terraces along the first and third base lines will offer 24 seats each. One of the eight new suites will be offered on a game-by-game basis, while the rest will be reserved for season ticket holders. With the addition, the stadium will feature 26 suites total.

Alex Box Stadium was originally designed for seating to be expanded, Perry says, and this is the first expansion since the stadium opened in 2009. There will be a four-ticket limit for the terrace seating, which will also be reserved for season ticket holders. The deadline to apply for the new seats is Oct. 31, and those interested can contact TAF at 578-4823 or 800-644-4823.

Businessreport.com

[steve3n8]

LSU officials talk Tiger Park plans

Construction crews will soon clear the 1,000-seat Tiger Park facility, which the LSU softball team hasn't called home since 2008, and turn the lot into a temporary parking area for the new Business and Engineering Residential College, The Daily Reveille reports. Parking, Traffic and Transportation Director Gary Graham tells the student newspaper he has not received an estimate from engineers about the potential cost of the parking facility. Eddie Nunez, associate athletic director of operations and project development, says the department's master plan includes building a multilevel parking garage on the site, adding that construction will likely happen within five to 10 years. Nunez also says the department has considered constructing a gymnastics facility in the area and moving the tennis facility off-campus to a site south of Nicholson Drive. Read the full article here.

Businessreport.com

Edited October 6, 2011 by steve3n8

[Antrell Williams]

5-10 years for a parking garage?

[dan326]

That does seem like a long time, but I guess they used up all their construction money for a while.

[buckett5425]

Yea, they are currently building a new parking garage near the Union. It's HUGE. So I suppose they have too much debt right now to begin any other expensive projects for a while.

[Antrell Williams]

LSU System considers greater autonomy of its campus

The LSU Board of Supervisors is expected to consider a resolution next week to give LSU System President John Lombardi the authority to grant an initial "base level" of autonomy to LSU campuses to increase efficiency and cost savings in exchange for better academic performance. The move would give campuses, among other things, the ability to retain unspent funds at the end of a fiscal year; permission to execute individual contracts up to $49,999 in a 12-month period without further review by the state's Office of Contractual Review; and the authority to dispose of obsolete equipment without first getting the approval of another state agency. The autonomies were part of GRAD Act 2.0, approved in the spring legislative session and signed into law in July. LSU A&M officials claim the added operational freedoms will save more than $52 million over five years on the main campus alone, allowing more money to be directed into the classroom. The board meeting is scheduled to get under way at 1 p.m. Friday with committee sessions, followed immediately by the board's regular meeting. The board meets in the Board Meeting Room of the LSU System Building at 3810 West Lakeshore Dr. Detailed background information on agenda items is available here.

They also want to merge LSU-Sheveport and LaTech.

[itsjustme3]

LSU System considers greater autonomy of its campus

They also want to merge LSU-Sheveport and LaTech.

That's NOT what I hear. Supposedly LSU is strongly against this.

[Antrell Williams]

Yeah, my mistake. LSU Chancellor is highly opposed to this.

[steve3n8]

E.J. Ourso College of Business rises in global ranking

In its most recent comparative listing of the Top Business Schools, Eduniversal ranked LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business 52nd overall, an improvement of three spots. The college was placed in the “4 Palmes” category and was the 30th ranked public institution in that grouping. Eduniversal’s categories of palmes go from 1 to 5, with “5 Palmes” representing the collection of colleges with the best rankings. Eduniversal, which began this ranking in 2009, bases its listing of the world’s top 1,000 business schools on two main types of criteria: Peer assessment and international reputation. “There are 1,243 AACSB accredited schools, and 706 of them are public institutions,” says E.J. Ourso College Dean Eli Jones in a prepared statement. “Once again, we placed in Eduniversal’s second-highest tier.” Jones notes three schools in this year’s “4 Palmes” category were previously in the “5 Palmes” category and that 19 schools in this year’s “4 Palmes” category dropped at least five spots. Eight of those schools dropped 10 spots or more. “The three times we have been ranked, our ranking has been extremely consistent,” Jones says. “We are showing stability and that is being recognized.” Other universities whose business schools ranked in the “4 Palmes” category this year include Boston College, University of Florida, University of South Carolina, Vanderbilt University, University of Virginia and Wake Forest University. To view the complete 2011 Eduniversal rankings, click here.

LSU on positive long-term track, chancellor says

Despite the depressed economy and the current shuffling of the SEC, LSU is poised for long-term financial, academic and athletic prosperity, the university's chancellor says. "This is a time of campus renewal," Chancellor Michael Martin told the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge at its monthly luncheon today. "People ask us, 'Why are you building now, in this economy?' I say, this is the best time. It drives investment and creates badly needed jobs." He says projects currently under way include a new business complex, new residence hall, bookstore, parking garage and band hall, as well several remodeling projects. "We're off to a great start," he says. "On campus, we're trying to be more entrepreneurial." Martin says that in addition to construction, fostering continued student enrollment is paramount. "It's that first summer off when we lose a lot of students," he says. "If we keep them as freshman and sophomores, they'll stay as juniors and seniors." He says that retention programs for students and student-athletes have given LSU "the highest yields in recruiting in all of the SEC." He says he has seen a lot of graduate names on local businesses, "and I wish we had more. We are working on it." He says that LSU's overall outlook "is a wonderful testament to the people who go out and market us." He says support from students, alumni, businesses and other donors relies upon perception of the school. "We are being held accountable by the market, and we're on the right trajectory," he says.

LSU Law Center ranked sixth best value in the nation

The LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center has been ranked No. 6 among the Best Value Law Schools report by preLaw, a National Jurist publication. Last year, LSU ranked 18th on the list. According to the magazine, the intent of the Best Value rankings is to identify law schools across the country that offer a quality legal education at an affordable price. The magazine considers the following when ranking the law schools: percent of graduates who pass the bar exam; percent of graduates who are employed; tuition; and average indebtedness upon graduation. "The Law Center consistently leads the pack on the Louisiana bar exam, and I'm pleased to say we hit that mark again this year," says Law Center Chancellor Jack Weiss in a prepared statement. "Despite tough times in the last few years, a high percentage of our graduates have continued to find jobs in the legal marketplace. Our high Best Value ranking reflects the quality of legal education students receive at the Law Center, while at the same time acknowledging our reasonable tuition rates and relatively manageable student debt." Other law schools that rank as top ten Best Value schools are the University of North Carolina (4), the University of Georgia (5), the University of Alabama (8), and the University of Mississippi (10). You can access the full list via the preLaw website here, but registration is required.

Businessreport.com

[steve3n8]

LSU to add nearly 1,000 on-campus beds within a year

In response to increased demand for on-campus housing over the past two years, LSU Residential Life will add nearly 1,000 beds to the housing inventory for fall 2012. Kirby Smith Hall was recently renovated and reopened, adding 350 suite-style beds to the campus. Kirby Smith Hall will continue to house students through the 2015-16 academic year, and then will be used for year-round conference housing. LSU Residential Life spokesman Jay High says renovations on East Laville Hall are on schedule for completion by next fall, which will return 330 beds and complete the Laville Honors House renovation. Additionally, a new building connecting East and West Laville Halls is being built, which will provide a 24-hour front desk for both residence halls, common areas and an outside courtyard area. Residential College One—North Hall is also on track for completion next fall, adding another 358 suite-style beds. It will house the Engineering Residential College and will complete the Residential College Complex One. Additionally, a new building with a 24-hour front desk for the entire complex, a computer lab, faculty offices and an on-site apartment for a faculty member and his or her family is also being built.

Businessreport.com

[Antrell Williams]

Intellectual property

Now under way, the LSU Innovation Park aims to transform the regional economy.

Along Nicholson Drive near GSRI Avenue in Baton Rouge, about five miles south of the main campus of Louisiana State University, is a grassy, undeveloped expanse of land. If things go as planned, it will soon become the frontispiece for the LSU Innovation Park, a 200-acre development where state-of-the-art science and technology companies could set up shop. Like other university research parks nationwide, the project’s aim is to foster the regional knowledge economy by corralling science and business under one roof.

http://www.1012corridor.com/news/2011/oct/31/intellectual-property/

[richyb83]

Would have been nice to have this near the urban core between LSU/Downtown instead of that far out...it could have been a nice compliment to the Future River District at northern boundry along the Nicholson corridor...could have covered about 5 city blocks with a few 8 to 10-story buildings adjacent to Miss River Bridge not far from BR Landing; oh well some strong growth for the GSRI area...they got it right in Columbia South Carolina with Innovista...

[Antrell Williams]

I was thinking the same thing. Developments should be pushed further in the city as much as legally possible. Or the land where the LSU rural life museum is. Would be a good addition for the Medical District.