Indiana University trustees OK new $17.5 Bloomington campus building

The Indiana University Board of Trustees on Friday unanimously approved the plan for a 40,000-gross-square-foot facility at the northeast corner of North Jordan Avenue and East Seventh Street. The board also approved a $10.2 million renovation of several dining areas inside the Indiana Memorial Union during its meeting at IU Northwest.

The new international center will bring several related units from different locations across campus into one building. For instance, IU’s Office of Overseas Study is in the Dowling International Center off South Jordan Avenue, the Office of International Development is on North Jordan Avenue and the Office of International Services is in the Poplars Building on East Seventh Street. The new facility will bring the various services provided by those offices under one roof, freeing up much needed space in othercampusbuildings,saidTom Morrison, vice president for capital planning and facilities at IU.

There are two houses used for office space on the site where the new center will be built. Those houses will not stay on site, but Morrison said the university will work with Bloomington Restorations Inc., to see if they can be moved and reused.

The project will be funded through philanthropy and international student fees. IU’s international student fee increased from $91.80 to $200 per semester at the start of the 2017-18 academic year.