photo by: Journal-World illustration

Kansas Board of Regents logo

The Kansas Board of Regents has given the University of Kansas a green light to raze two vacant buildings on its Lawrence campus.

At the board’s November meeting on Wednesday, KU was granted approval to raze its Facilities Administration Building and Pharmaceutical Chemistry Lab. The buildings are in poor condition and currently vacated, according to KU’s proposal to demolish them.

The Facilities Administration Building, located at 1503 Sunflower Road, housed offices, storage and other functions of KU’s facilities staff. It was vacated in 2018 because of the overall condition of the building and code issues that “are not feasible to resolve,” according to KU’s proposal.

The Pharmaceutical Chemistry Lab, located at 2097 Constant Avenue, housed a variety of research functions. Asbestos-containing materials are present in the building, but in an email to the Journal-World, KU spokesman Joe Monaco said the asbestos is “under control.”

The project to raze both buildings will be funded by KU’s allocation from the state’s Educational Building Fund. The estimated cost of the demolitions will be $566,000 for the Facilities Administration Building and $373,500 for the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Lab. KU’s proposal didn’t specify when the demolitions would take place.

In other news from the Regents meeting:

• The board approved a request for the KU Medical Center to add a doctoral program in clinical nutrition. The proposed implementation date is fall 2020. The program will be online and will produce advanced-level clinical nutritionists, food and nutrition consultants and higher education researchers.

• KU was granted approval to complete the second phase of its renovation project for the Spencer Museum of Art, which includes a new study center and improvements to the Kress Foundation Gallery. The cost of the project is estimated at $1.9 million and will be funded by private gifts and a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

• The board approved a request to revise the tuition rate of KU’s undergraduate certificate in strength and conditioning offered through the Edwards Campus. The online program will now cost $485 per credit hour, which will match the rates for KU’s online bachelor’s degree program in exercise science.

• KU was granted approval to name its law school’s diversity center the Dru Mort Sampson Center for Diversity and Inclusion, after an alumna and significant financial supporter of the school.