Tucker Hall on the Arkansas Tech University campus in Russellville will be renovated and returned to its original purpose as a residence hall following action by the Arkansas Tech Board of Trustees on Thursday.
Once complete, the renovation will allow Arkansas Tech to house 85 students in the two-story structure. There will be 32 double rooms and 21 single rooms. Cost for the renovation will be $2.305 million.
Constructed in 1954, Tucker Hall has most recently been used for administrative office space.
David Moseley, Arkansas Tech senior vice president for administration and finance, noted that the renovation plans prepared by AMR Architects of Little Rock include provisions for the creation of an interior hallway on both floors of Tucker Hall.
The interior hallway will provide improved security for the residence hall rooms as compared to the exterior room entrances that were utilized when the facility was a residence hall in years past.
Tucker Hall is named for John E. Tucker (photographed), who served as a faculty member, administrator and coach at Arkansas Tech from 1925-72. Tucker is remembered as “The Original Wonder Boy” for his exploits as a member of the Arkansas Tech football team from 1919-24.
In other business on Thursday, the Arkansas Tech Board of Trustees approved:
*the financial audit report for the 2009-10 fiscal year regarding Arkansas Tech from the Arkansas Division of Legislative Audit;
*the financial report for Arkansas Tech for the 2009-10 fiscal year;
*the deletion of the certificate program in medical transcription from the program inventory on the Arkansas Tech main campus in Russellville because the program is duplicated through Arkansas Tech-Ozark Campus and because all current students who were involved in the program on the main campus have completed their requirements;
*and the purchase of a 1.25 acre property and 1,660-square foot structure at 913 N. 18th Street in Ozark at a cost of $84,150 for the future development of Arkansas Tech-Ozark Campus.
In addition, the Arkansas Tech Board of Trustees considered two procedural moves that are part of the agenda for the first meeting of each calendar year.
First, the board met the requirements of Act 1646 of 2001 by certifying that Arkansas Tech will have “sufficient appropriations and funds” to meet all current and anticipated obligations during the remainder of the 2010-11 fiscal year.
Second, the board fulfilled the requirements of Arkansas Statute 25-16-902 by voting to “authorize expense reimbursement for each board member when they perform official board duties.”
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