Physical Facilities on Campus

Delta State University is located on 275 acres of land in Cleveland, Mississippi.  Additionally, DSU owns 31.5 acres of land in Merigold, Mississippi, and 30 acres of land in Tallahatchie County (DSU Institutional Self-Study, 1994).   The buildings at DSU range in age from those built in the 1920s to the present. 

Institutional surveys in 1994 revealed that 75% of the faculty thought that the classroom space was adequate and that 60% of the faculty felt the laboratory space and studio spaces were adequate (DSU Institutional Self-Study, 1994).  The addition of new buildings and the renovation of older buildings further indicate the adequacy of the physical facilities to meet the needs of the institution's educational programs.  The DSU School of Nursing was renovated in 1995, providing the necessary space for the School of Nursing to meet its educational mission.  Also in 1995, the $8 million, 37,000 square foot, state-of-the-art Bologna Performing Arts Center and a $200,000 addition to the Flight Instruction Hanger were completed.  The $2.7 million, 15,500 square foot renovation to Wright Hall and the 11,000 square foot addition of Holcombe-Norwood Hall were completed in 1997, adding classrooms and offices for the Department of Art.  A $4.3 million complete renovation of the 32,000 square feet in Broom and Keener Halls was completed in 1998, providing the College of Business with state-of-the-art classrooms and offices.  The $391,000 purchase of and renovations to the Center for Community Development complex was completed in 1998.  The $2.3 million Capps Archives and Museum was completed in 1999.  A $7.4 million renovation and addition to the Roberts–LaForge Library was completed in 2000.  The $580,000 Griffis Indoor Baseball Practice Facility was completed in 2001.  In 2002, a new $6.8 million men’s dormitory was completed, and renovations of $1.8 million were made to the Court of Governors, another men’s dormitory.  The addition of a $6.5 million state-of-the-art natatorium was also completed in 2002.  The $430,000 Softball Facility was completed in the spring of 2003 (Annual Facilities Reports). 

Current projects include

• the $9.8 million construction of the new Kent Wyatt Building for Student Services and Administration,
   
• the $3.9 million renovation and addition of classrooms and offices in Jobe Hall,
   
• the $3.2 million renovation of the Court of Governors (men’s dormitory),
   
• the $250,000 addition of an instructional hangar,
   
• $3 million in repairs and renovations to campus infrastructure, including roofs and HVAC systems,
   
• the $6 million renovation to the Coahoma County Higher Education Center in Clarksdale (classrooms, multipurpose center, convention center).  (Official contract documents for these projects are located in the Office of the Vice President for Finance.)

Additionally, the Division of Information and Technology Services is enhancing the technology resources of selected classrooms of academic programs of the University.  The purpose of the project is to equip fifteen classrooms with an integrated multimedia system that supports the audiovisual, internet, and other computing resources required for instruction.  The project also includes modifications to those facilities in terms of electrical, floor and wall treatments, and space utilization.  During fall 2003, the first five technology-enhanced classrooms will be implemented in nursing, natural science, art, and business.  An additional five rooms will be implemented in spring 2004 (email from the Director of the Technology Learning Center). 

Annually, DSU requests funds from the Mississippi Legislature to update, repair, renovate, or construct new University facilities as outlined in the facilities plan.  As projects are funded, they are removed from the request and the remaining items are advanced within the requests.  The annual request is reviewed by University officials and is updated as the University's priorities change.  This request is approved by the Cabinet before its submission to the Mississippi Bureau of Real Property Management, Building, and Grounds (which makes the full submission to the Mississippi Legislature).  The request is also simultaneously submitted to the IHL .

The upkeep of DSU facilities is maintained by the personnel at the Physical Plant.  The FY 2002 budget for the Physical Plant was $4.7 million, and this was increased by 4% in FY 2003 to $ 4.9 million (DSU Maintenance Reports FY 2002, 2003).

In both 2002 DSU graduating student satisfaction surveys, students rated the "classroom facilities related to [their] major[s] as good.

Physical Facilities Off Campus

Delta State University, in compliance with its regional mission, provides off-campus classes and support in facilities in Greenville and Clarksdale.

DSU offers classes through the Greenville Higher Education Center.  This facility has 17 regular-sized classrooms, two distance learning rooms, five computer laboratories, two art classrooms, and laboratories for nursing, biology, chemistry, physics, and anatomy and physiology (Greenville Higher Education Center Brochure).  The Greenville Higher Education Center has a conference facility furnished with state-of-the-art technology and equipment.

The Coahoma County Higher Education Center, located on 12.5 acres of land in Clarksdale, is Delta State’s newest off-campus facility.  This facility is composed of three main buildings.  Renovations to the Cutrer House, built in 1918, should be completed in 2004.  It will have several meeting rooms for small group meetings, several public rooms suitable for seminars and receptions, and one large visual arts gallery.  The main instructional building, the Michael & Pauline Lewis Educational Building, was built around 1950 and has ten large classrooms, a small office complex, and a cafeteria.  Future renovations will include technology upgrades and the creation of more classrooms, office space, and a culinary arts facility.  Future renovations to the Brown Commons Building, built in 1960, will transform the existing gymnasium into a large multipurpose room with additional space for classrooms.  In addition to general classes, instruction will be offered in health care, education, workforce development, and cultural programs.

Support Services

Delta State University has a number of facilities that are involved in the support of its academic mission.  The W. B. Roberts Library (newly renamed the Roberts-LaForge Library) was renovated in 1999 and now houses over 200,000 volumes in its collection, subscribes to over 1,000 professional journals, and provides 140 computer work stations and 850 user seats ("Library Quick Facts," "Library Addition and Renovation").  The University's Instructional Resources Center (IRC) is located within the library.  The IRC houses videotapes, computer software, and audiovisual equipment for use by faculty and students.  In addition, the state-of-the-art Bibliographic Instruction Room is located within the library and houses 24 computer work stations and multimedia tools.

Additional support services such as the Academic Support Laboratory, Career Services and Placement, and the Instructional Technology Center have all reported that their facilities are adequate to support the educational mission of Delta State University.