By Northern State University is seeking another $2.65 million in state money to replace Lincoln Hall.
President Neal Schnoor provided the number to the South Dakota Board of Regents during budget presentations on Thursday, June 22 at Dakota State University in Madison.
The presentations included highlights of budget requests from the state’s six public universities. No formal action was taken, though the requests are considered by the regents as they craft budget priorities and present them to the governor’s office.
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Schnoor also asked for $204,500 for dedicated personnel at the Northern’s Center of Public History and Civic Engagement.
New Lincoln Hall cost now $33.65 million
The $2.65 million requested should round out the money needed to replace Lincoln and Briscoe halls, which the university plans to demolish and replace with a new building. It would have room for an accelerated nursing simulation lab, digital economy incubator space, admissions offices and classrooms.
In 2022, the South Dakota Legislature approved spending $29.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project, which has yet to be approved by the federal government. Officials expect that decision later this summer. Northern went before the Legislature earlier this year seeking $5 million more for the new building to account for rising construction costs. Lawmakers approved $1.5 million for engineering and planning work.
Schnoor said the money requested last week will be for the school’s innovation center and site work.
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Lincoln Hall was built in 1917, originally as a residence hall. Renovation of the building was explored, but Schnoor has said previously that pursuing that option would double the cost.
The Center for Public History and Civic Engagement was established in fall 2021. Since opening, Schnoor said it has had an “outsized impact” as it has promoted American history, advanced civic engagement and public discourse. The $204,500 sought would buy out teaching time for Jon Schaff to serve as director of the center and allow for the hiring of a program assistant and a graduate assistant. In addition to leading the center, Schaff has also been a professor of government at Northern.