San Angelo: Rams charge forward with $31M construction

​SAN ANGELO – Angelo State University (ASU) is embarking on
$31 million in new construction projects for the 2017 fiscal year starting in
June, ASU President Brian May said.

Groundbreaking for the construction of The Angelo State
University Archer College of Health and Human Services will happen later this
year. The $26 million, 52,000-sf facility will be constructed next to the
Vincent Building that houses the Planetarium.

The Archer Foundation seeded the project with a $5 million
gift, and the Texas Legislature funded the balance.

Next to that building, ASU will build new engineering labs.
The labs will be named after San Angelo citizen Hunter Strain. An
anonymous donor gave $4.5 million to build the labs. It has a June 2016
construction start date.

Also in the works is a $3 million upgrade to the press box
at the LeGrand Stadium where the ASU Rams play football.

Facilities expansion is needed because of ASU’s continued
rapid growth in enrollment. Nine years ago, total enrollment consisted of 7,000
students. By fall 2015, that number had increased by 20 percent to 8,500.

“In fall 2016, we will have a total enrollment of over
9,000,” May said.

Much of the growth is due to ASU’s recently launched Dual
Credit program—offering college credit to high school students.

There are 1,800 dual credit students at ASU today.

May also attributed ASU’s growth to the new College of
Engineering.

Engineering took ASU to a new level, and May
believes it will be a staple of ASU academic offerings, much like nursing,
physical therapy, agriculture and teaching have traditionally been.