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Last modified: Thursday, November 19, 2009 7:09 AM CST
Board, NDSU remain at odds on house funding
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota State University Development Foundation says it remains in the dark about its proposal to pay for cost overruns on a new president’s house.
The state Board of Higher Education said it should not be responsible for more than $500,000 in added costs to the house, which was estimated at $900,000 and ballooned to more than $2 million. The foundation, which managed the project, agreed on Oct. 1 to pay about $373,000 in overruns, but said it won’t cover at least $142,000 in bills that have surfaced after that.
“My understanding is that it is being reviewed by the chancellor,” said Jim Miller, director of the development foundation. “That’s as much as I know about it. We haven’t heard anything back.”
The agenda for Thursday’s state Board of Higher Education meeting in Minot includes an update on funding of the new houses at NDSU and the University of North Dakota by Bill Goetz, chancellor of the state university system. The UND house, also estimated to cost $900,000, was finished at $1.26 million.
Goetz declined to comment on Wednesday.
Miller said he’s on the road trying to raise money for the foundation and won’t attend Thursday’s meeting.
“We indicated we would pay $373,000 in projected costs for the back yard,” Miller said. “That offer is still on the table.”
The NDSU house project was one of the issues that led to the resignation of president Joseph Chapman. It also caused the board to call for an audit and make policy changes on the way future projects will be handled.
Chapman’s last day is Nov. 30. The board plans on Thursday to name a search committee to recommend his replacement.
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