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MTSU submits $24.3 million capital-maintenance priority list to THEC; trustees approve annual package
Summary
The committee approved a prioritized submission of 13 capital-maintenance projects totaling about $24.3 million for FY26–27, with the top project focusing on exterior envelope, roofs and structural repairs; staff described the THEC allocation process and the university's deferred-maintenance backlog.
Trustees approved the university’s annual capital-maintenance project submission for FY26–27, a prioritized list of 13 projects totaling about $24.3 million. Joe Whitefield, assistant vice president for facility services, presented the packet and said the requested amount and the university’s prioritized list follow Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) guidance and the statewide maintenance allocation formula.
Whitefield told trustees the statewide deferred-maintenance need for higher education is roughly $358 million; the university’s calculated share produces a recommended annual need consistent with industry standards (about 1–2% of current replacement value). He said MTSU’s E&G (education and general) assets are near $1.5 billion, and the THEC formula produces an allocation near 1.6% of replacement value, which translates to the roughly $24.3 million annual request.
Whitefield said the top-ranked FY26–27 project is a $4 million priority for exterior envelope, roofing and structural repairs across multiple buildings; other projects in the prioritized list include utility system upgrades, elevator modernization, fire alarm and access-control system work, and other infrastructure priorities. He explained an approach of grouping work by discipline across multiple buildings (for example, roofing across several buildings) to gain economies and maximize the value of limited funds.
Trustees asked how the THEC formula accounts for age, size and replacement value of campus assets; Whitefield said the allocation takes building age, replacement value and square footage into account and that the university maintains a multi-year list of out-year projects so priorities can be adjusted annually. He also detailed university-level contingency funds for emergency repairs: a major-maintenance fund of about $600,000 and a repair-and-replacement fund of about $600,000, which staff use for urgent and unplanned repairs when capital funds are not available.
Action: The committee moved, seconded and approved the FY26–27 capital-maintenance project submission by voice vote.
Whitefield noted that even when projects are approved for funding by the state, design and construction typically follow a year or more after the funding decision, so campus planning for staged work must continue. Trustees were reminded that the university’s total deferred-maintenance estimate exceeds $200 million and that annual appropriations historically covered a fraction of the need.
The board directed staff to proceed with the submission and to continue updating the trustees as projects move through design and bidding.
