Nearly $23M construction contract for advancement center on MSU board agenda

The Missouri State University Board of Governors' executive committee tomorrow is scheduled to consider the project budget and the construction contract for the Clifton M. Smart III Advancement Center.

The March 19 executive committee agenda points to a total project budget of $26.2 million. The board is set to vote on JE Dunn Construction Co. as the construction management at risk firm for the project.

JE Dunn Construction's bid for the 28,000-square-foot project is $22.9 million. Dake Wells Architecture Inc. was previously announced as the project architect when the advancement center was announced last spring.

The advancement center will replace a parking lot in front of Monroe Apartments, at the corner of National Avenue and Bear Boulevard. In announcing the project last spring, MSU officials said an anonymous donor pledged a seven-figure gift for the facility that would house university advancement, the MSU Foundation and the Alumni Association, along with an indoor event center and other amenities.

"The facility should evoke a sense of institutional pride," said Brent Dunn, MSU Foundation executive director and vice president for university advancement, in April 2024. "It's more than an office building. It's a home for alumni and friends."

The advancement center is slated for completion in fall 2026, according to the board's agenda. Private donations make up $12.1 million of the project budget, with $5.8 million coming from the sale of the Meyer Alumni Center, $5 million from foundation reserves, $2.1 million from president enhancement funds and $1.2 million from the fiscal 2026 operating maintenance and repair budget.