Governor releases MSU Glass Hall renovation funds that were on hold

The funds were part of a $5 million appropriation for the project that the Legislature approved last spring.

The governor made the announcement at a news conference in which he was joined by MSU President Clif Smart and Commissioner of Higher Education Zora Mulligan.

Glass Hall houses the College of Business. The construction includes a complete renovation and expansion of the existing facility, with a 37,000-square-foot addition for work rooms, an advising center, a career center, and a simulation of the New York Stock Exchange. The $33.8 million project is funded by revenue bonds, gifts to the Missouri State University Foundation, university reserves, and capital appropriations from state funds. The project should be mostly done by next fall.

The governor withheld the $1.875 million in September because he said he didn't think the state would have enough income to pay for all the appropriations approved by the Legislature this fiscal year. At the time, the university said, if the withholding wasn't rescinded, MSU would spend less in some areas and possibly dip into university savings or donor funds to make up the difference.

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