As University of Memphis president Bill Hardgrave noted on Wednesday, June 1, less than 3% of space on the U of M campus is earmarked for research. And that, he said, is likely a generous estimate.
“If we really want to retain and build a sustainable R1 model,” he explained, “We have to invest in research.”
Hardgrave said this during a Board of Trustees' Governance and Finance Committee meeting, as school officials detailed plans for an expansive research modernization project that will improve labs and support space.
U of M is looking to modernize 89,000 square feet of space on campus, to support research in the sciences, like chemistry, psychology, physics, life sciences, engineering, and computer science.
The project is set to cost $39 million, with $37.4 million expected to come from the State of Tennessee, and the other $1.56 million coming from U of M.
The school is looking to receive state funding for the project in the 2023-24 year; and, as Hardgrave said, it could play a key role in U of M’s efforts to retain its R1 status from the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education.
U of M gained the top research designation in December, after an immense research push, and it could bring tangible benefits to both the U of M and the surrounding community. Once you gain R1 status, though, you must maintain it — Carnegie releases new rankings every three years — and to do this, U of M wants more resources.
The research modernization is just one component of this. U of M is also looking to gain more research funding, and as chief government relations and policy officer Katie VanLandingham noted during the meeting, Governor Bill Lee has proposed that the state give U of M $50 million for a research endowment to maintain R1 status — which U of M would then match dollar-for-dollar, making it a $100 million fund.
And U of M has other capital projects in the works that could support U of M’s R1 efforts, too. During the meeting, chief university planning officer Tony Poteet laid out the school’s five-year capital outlay plan, which, besides the research modernization, includes these facilities:
- A $68.41 million interdisciplinary science facility on the main campus, expected to be funded in the 2024-25 year
- A $54 million research park — new research facilities west of the main campus — expected to be funded in the 2025-26 year
- An $83 million building replacement for Mitchell Hall and Clement Hall, expected to be funded in the 2026-27 year
- A $28 million research renovation and physical plant relocation — the school will relocate its plant and use the current facility for research — expected to be funded in 2027-28 year
U of M has also already received funding from the State for two other projects. It’s scored $25 million in state funding for the renovation of the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, which will be paired with $5 million in matching funds from U of M — putting the cost at $30 million.
And it’s received $20 million in state funding for the renovation of Mynders Hall — U of M’s first residence hall, built in 1912 — which, like the Fogelman project, will be paired with $5 million in matching funds from the university. This puts the renovation’s cost at $25 million.
