Potter Hall will receive nearly $800,000 in renovations and additions under a plan to spend budget reserves approved by the Board of Governors. Wilson Hall and the Looney Complex will also receive improvements.

The Board of Governors at Missouri Western State University has approved approximately $1.6 million in improvements to Potter Hall, Wilson Hall and the Looney Complex. The renovations will be funded out of operating budget reserves that totaled approximately $10.4 million on June 30.

“Our faculty and staff have demonstrated great fiscal responsibility, building up reserves even during tough budget times,” said Cale Fessler, vice president for financial planning and administration. “The Board has approved a plan to use some of those reserves for one-time expenditures that will enhance the usability of three buildings while maintaining an appropriate reserve balance to handle emergencies that may arise.”

Potter Hall, the home of Missouri Western’s new School of Fine Arts, including the Departments of Art, Music, and Theatre and Cinema, will receive approximately $790,000 in improvements. Projects include re-roofing, the renovation of existing and addition of new restroom facilities, and the construction of an addition for percussion studies. Currently, percussion lessons are conducted in trailers adjacent to Potter Hall.

Wilson Hall, which houses the Departments of Engineering Technology, Military Science and Criminal Justice, Legal Studies and Social Work as well as Campus Printing and Design Services and the Y’s Kids World daycare center, will receive approximately $220,000 in improvements. Restrooms and the south entryway to the building will be repaired and renovated along with the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

The Looney Complex houses Griffon Athletics, the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and Recreation Services. The $213,000 in projects include painting the gym, providing a new access to the baseball locker room, and renovating the tennis courts and men’s and women’s visitor locker rooms.

Also Thursday, the Board of Governors approved the administration’s recommendation to stay with the university’s current medical insurance provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, for 2014, at an average premium increase of just 2.5 percent. The Board also approved recommendations to stay with Vision Services Provider for vision insurance, change the dental insurance provider from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Delta Dental, and change the ancillary coverage provider (for life, long-term disability and accidental death policies) from Aetna to Prudential.

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.