At the December 16, 2022, meeting of the Board of Trustees of Illinois State University, the Board approved a number of action items. The full resolutions for these are available on the Board of Trustees website.
Watterson Towers Flooring
The Board authorized University Housing Services to replace flooring in Watterson Residence Hall at a cost not to exceed $700,000. The approximately 72,500 square feet of student floor lounge spaces on 25 student floors in the two buildings of Watterson was last updated in 2009. The project will take place in two phases, which includes removing and disposing of existing flooring, and flooring replacement in the student lounges of both the south and north towers.
Watterson Dining Servery Renovation Project
The Board approved an increase in the budget authorization for the Watterson Dining Servery Renovation Project not to exceed $7.35 million. The $2 million increase in projected spending, up from $5.35 million authorized in 2021, comes in the face of updated projections regarding equipment and labor along with the time availability for renovations to take place. With more than 8,000 meals a day being served at Watterson, uninterrupted dining operations are critical to meeting student demand.
Betty Norris Fairchild Children’s Discovery Garden
The Board approved the naming of the Children’s Discovery Garden as the Betty Norris Fairchild Children’s Discovery Garden. Located at the ISU Horticulture Center on Raab Road, the naming of the garden is in recognition of the financial support from the family of Betty Norris Fairchild. The gift will endow a fund in the ISU Foundation that will support maintenance and operations for the Garden in perpetuity.
Fairchild attended Illinois State University, and married Robert E. Fairchild in 1943. Her husband was the younger son of Raymond W. Fairchild, who was president of Illinois State from 1933-1955. She was a skilled golfer, an avid bird watcher, and had a passion for gardening. Her family is also setting up a scholarship for students in the Department of Agriculture that will be known as the Betty Norris Fairchild Agriculture Scholarship.
Paul DeJong Baseball Training Facility
The Board approved the naming of a newly constructed indoor hitting and pitching facility. The Paul DeJong Baseball Training Facility will allow for year-long indoor use for the Redbird Baseball program, as well as coaching lessons and providing an advantage in the recruitment and retention of student-athletes.
The facility, located at Duffy Bass Field, is named in recognition of the financial support of Paul DeJong, a 2015 graduate of the University and an alumnus of the Redbird Baseball program. DeJong was a four-time recipient of the Missouri Valley Conference Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award and was a fourth-round selection of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft.
