The SMU Board of Trustees approved the final 2010-11 university budget during their May board meeting, according to SMU President R. Gerald Turner.

The Board also approved SMU to begin the planning stage for sophomore housing.

Turner spoke with The Daily Campus about the Board’s actions after two days of board meetings. These meetings are not open to the public or press.

SMU hopes to implement a requirement for sophomore housing by Fall 2014, according to Turner, and the planning stage will take about a year.

Sophomore housing will be located on the southeast corner of campus. 

According to Turner, intramural fields would be located south of the Bush Library, where the University Gardens apartments once stood. He said Park Cities Plaza would be left “as is” and that the Mrs. Baird’s factory would be torn down to make room for new housing.

The complete process, from planning to construction, would take three and a half years, according to Turner.

During the planning stage, SMU will look at the architectural design, construction cost estimates, loan estimates and city approval.

“There’s a lot to be done,” Turner said.

SMU is set to hire an architect/planner from one of four firms as soon as they can work out a reasonable deal for the project. SMU will clear the area with the Mrs. Baird’s factory during the next academic year.

“That’s going to be the first sign that it’s [sophomore housing] underway,” Turner said.

SMU hopes to begin construction on the new housing by February 2012, although Turner said it could be as early as December 2011.

“It seems a long way off, but it’s less than two years,” he said.

The Board of Trustees also elected new Board officers: Caren H. Prothro as Chair, Michael M. Boone as Vice Chair and Robert H. Dedman Jr. as Secretary. Linda Eads will serve as the Faculty Trustee and junior Haynes Strader will serve as the Student Trustee.

All new positions take effect June 1 and will last for one year.

Turner said the Board received a report on admissions, noting that it looks like the class of 2014 will have 1400 enrolled.

The Board also heard an update on the Second Century Campaign. Turner said the current amount raised—$462 million–is ahead of schedule by about a month. The campaign’s goal is to raise $750 million by the end of 2013.

The next Board of Trustees meeting will take place in September, where the Board will hear final reports on enrollment and the university budget.