VU extends president’s contract, updates health building plans
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Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to show the university plans to receive bids for its health building in January. A previous version stated a bid had been accepted.
The Vincennes University Board of Trustees on Wednesday voted to extend the contract of President Chuck Johnson. The board also received an update on the timeline for the planned $34 million Center for Health Sciences and Active Learning.
Johnson was selected as VU’s 22nd president in 2015. The board unanimously approved a one-year extension to his contract, which now runs through Dec. 31, 2026.
Johnson told our partners at WTWO-TV after Wednesday’s board meeting that the university will continue to keep the focus on its mission.
“We are going to continue to focus on the things we always focus on and that is ensuring that the students here are getting the best possible education, that we have the equipment, faculty, facilities, and curriculum to make sure they are well prepared,” Johnson said.
The university also announced that bids for the 70,000-square-foot Center for Health Sciences and Active Learning, will be received in January, with construction set to begin the following month.
In August, VU unveiled plans for the facility, which will be built on the site of the former Harrison Hall.
The university said the new building will include classrooms, modern clinical simulation labs with high-fidelity mannequins, virtual reality simulators and video recording systems. It is designed to double the learning space for students in the College of Health Sciences.
“We felt it was very important to upgrade that, not only to stay competitive and to draw students, but also to give our students the quality education they deserve when they come to Vincennes University,” Andrew Young, director of architectural services and facilities at VU, told WTWO.
Construction on the new building is expected to be complete by fall 2025.