Since September, discussion about “Saluki Way” has been mostly devoted to the new football stadium, but a committee will also meet soon to talk about constructing an academic building.

Since Chancellor Walter Wendler announced “Saluki Way,” a proposed 10-year construction project that will overhaul the east side of campus, he has said phase one will involve a new stadium and an academic building.

Yet, nothing official has been determined except for the structures’ locations. The new football field will be south of McAndrew Stadium, and the academic building will be at the bottom of the overpass across from Anthony Hall, where there is a parking lot.

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Last week Provost John Dunn put together a committee to provide input on things ranging from the academic building’s look to the type of classrooms inside it.

“We have a task ahead of us, and my hunch is we will be meeting on a very regular basis,” Dunn said.

Dubbed the “Saluki Way” Academic Building Committee, the group is made up of representatives from the faculty, scheduling office, physical plant, the school of architecture and the school of art and design.

Thomas Calhoun, the associate provost for Academic Affairs and a committee member, said, “The provost is adamant that everyone who has a stake is involved from the beginning to the end.”

Physical Plant Director Phil Gatton collects estimates for all campus construction, and Gatton said as part of the committee, he would bring historical knowledge to the discussion.

Initial construction costs are far smaller than the money it takes to power the building over a long period of time. For this reason, Gatton said he recommends the University always consider spending more money on quality structures.

Making sure the building can be modified for new technologies is also important, he said.

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“Who contemplated in the 1950s that we’d have 100 computers out there,” Gatton said referring to Morris Library. “You have to plan to be flexible for changes because you don’t know what they’re going to be.”

Gatton’s office battles increasing utility costs on a daily basis, and at the October Board of Trustees meeting, the chancellor proposed a $5 per-credit-hour student fee to cover the rising costs.

Making the new building environmentally efficient would lessen these costs.

“We are a campus that finds itself trying to be environmentally sensitive,” Dunn said, “and one of my charges to the group is to incorporate the very best we can in concepts related to energy and energy use.”

Using things like natural light and heavy insulation would save money, Gatton said.

Other members of the group are undergraduate and graduate students from the School of Architecture and the School of Art and Design. The provost said he wants heavy student involvement, and might even ask students to submit some designs as part of a class project.

The chancellor has also said he hopes the academic structure will be a “Noah’s Ark” of classrooms, meaning there would be at least two lecture halls, discussion rooms, laboratories and meeting areas. The chancellor also said he wants the building to house classes only for undergraduate students.

“There will be a lot of different kinds of classrooms available both big and small,” Calhoun said. “This is an aggressive undertaking by the chancellor.”

There is no committee for the new stadium, but initial designs are already in. The stadium will be dug into the ground and will have slightly less seating than its predecessor, Wendler said.

No time frame exists for phase one of “Saluki Way,” but Wendler has said he may present a final version of the plan for approval at the Board of Trustees meeting in January.

Reporter Zack Quaintance can be reached at [email protected]