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History of SVSU: 1989-2013
Curtiss Hall was the final campus building that the state paid for entirely. After 1991, the Legislature approved partial funding contingent upon matching grants for academic buildings, which meant an end to state oversight at all stages of planning and construction. After completion of Curtiss Hall, SVSU managed its own construction projects. The university deemed that change a significant improvement.17
South Campus Complex
In 1989, the state government provided a little more than $235,000 to fund the renovation of the first buildings constructed on campus, the “66 Building” and the “68 Building.” The work transformed the former into the campus physical plant facility and the latter into space for Central Stores, the Graphics Center and a black box theater.18 During this period, U.S. Rep. J. Robert Traxler approached the university regarding an intriguing idea. The Bay City Democrat chaired the House Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies, the latter of which included the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Since the 1980s, various scientists, some within NASA or affiliated with NASA projects, had explored ways that the space agency could gather and interpret global climate data from NASA satellites. The idea was that if such a system of data collection existed, it could be used by government agencies, universities and private corporations to model probable changes in global climate and develop appropriate responses. In 1989, Congress approved a $3.9 million NASA grant to create the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN). Traxler announced on Feb. 9, 1990, at SVSU that CIESIN would come to SVSU.19 SVSU became a part of CIESIN because of Traxler’s influence in the U.S. House. SVSU was also attractive because of innovative approaches the university had made in promoting science education. One of CIESIN’s goals was making climate data useable in classrooms, and the expectation was that faculty in the College of Education and the College of Science, Engineering & Technology could offer advice in how to achieve this. Accordingly, SVSU hosted or participated in workshops in 1990 and 1991 designed to test the efficacy of storing, interpreting and disseminating data for middle school and high school teachers. A $525,000 NASA grant funded the largest of these. The sessions included more than 145 teachers — including several from Carrollton, Swan Creek and Hemlock — from six states, representatives from six universities (SVSU, Ball State University, East Tennessee State University, the University of Western Illinois, Youngstown State University and the College of William & Mary) and advisors from three state Departments of Education (Michigan, Illinois and North Carolina). CIESIN included three Michigan entities: SVSU, the University of Michigan and the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM). The director was former NASA astronaut, Jack Lousma, and two administrators from SVSU served on its executive board: Robert Yien, vice president for academic affairs, as chairman and Jerry A. Woodcock, vice president for administration & business affairs, as treasurer.20 In fall 1990, as part of a bill approving another $9 million to fund the CIESIN project, Congress included $1 million to fund the planning of an Affiliated Data Center for NA-
