06/05/07 — KSU Foundation to build new office on Manhattan campus
The KSU Foundation is planning to purchase a tract of land from Kansas State University as the site for a new foundation office building. The purchase has been approved by the Kansas legislature and will be finalized during the summer. The purchase price will be determined by a statutory procedure that includes three independent appraisals. The 14-acre site is situated in the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Kimball and Denison avenues. It has approximately 712 feet of frontage on Kimball Avenue and 734 feet of frontage on Denison Avenue. It is located directly across the street west of the Manhattan Fire Station at 2000 Denison Avenue.
“The foundation has simply outgrown our facility,” said Paul Stephenson, Wichita, Kan., chairman of the foundation executive committee. “We have experienced tremendous growth in terms of annual fundraising and asset management and desperately need more space to conduct our work to support the university. In 1996, contributions to the KSU Foundation totaled $21.7 million and in 2006 the total contributions were $92.8 million. Our staff has grown from 35 to 100 during that same period of time, while our fundraising efficiency in terms of cost per dollar raised has remained relatively constant.”
“We are delighted to have the foundation in a very visible location on campus,” said K-State President Jon Wefald. “There is no question that private philanthropy is allowing the university to grow and excel in areas that would otherwise go unfunded. Approximately one quarter of the university’s operating budget comes from the state. The remainder of the operating budget comes from three sources: tuition, grants and contracts, and private philanthropic support given through the KSU Foundation. The collaborative efforts of the donors, the university staff and the foundation staff are providing a margin of excellence at K State. The truth is we have a great team at K-State on all fronts.”
A committee named by the foundation’s executive committee will oversee the process and make recommendations to the executive committee for action. Members are Dennis Law, dean, College of Architecture, Planning and Design; executive committee members Paul Stephenson, Wichita, Kan., Lee Harris, Leawood, Kan., and Curt Frasier, Beloit, Kan.; Charles Reagan, associate to the president; Lorne Render, director of the Beach Museum; and former foundation executive committee chairmen Dick Thiessen and Nelson Galle, both of Manhattan.
The building committee is overseeing the process of architect selection and building design. Letters soliciting interest were sent to every K-State architecture graduate. Those interested are participating in a selection process that will culminate in interviews with the building committee during June.
Funding for the new building will be generated from the sale of tax-exempt bonds issued by the foundation. Projections indicate the building will be approximately 50,000 square feet.
Susan Benz, Benz Resource Group, Austin, Texas, has been hired as the building project manager. A joint venture formed by GE Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Hutton Construction, Wichita, Kan. has been named as the project contractor. It is expected that construction could begin in the spring of 2008.
“This is an exciting chapter in the foundation’s 63-year history of serving Kansas State University,” said KSU Foundation CEO and President Gary Hellebust. “It is gratifying to know the reason we need to pursue a new building is due to the generosity of donors in support of the university. We have every intention of continuing to serve the university with increasing levels of philanthropic support.”
Hellebust added that parts of the foundation building, located at 2323 Anderson Avenue, are currently occupied by departments of the university. He expects that the entire building will be utilized by the university when the new foundation building is complete
