A new day is dawning at West Virginia University Institute of Technology, thanks to the nearing completion of the schools merger with West Virginia University, Campus Provost Charles E. Bayless said Thursday.

Bayless took reporters on a tour of new construction on campus, the first renovations and construction in years, and praised refurbished residence hall Maclin Hall as a symbol of the institutionsshared commitment to WVU Techs growth and revitalization. Maclin Hall is already booked and filled for the fall, he said.

Work is also complete on a $400,000 renovation to Ratliff Hall, another residence hall, and renovations of Tech Center, the student center, have begun.

WVU Techs association with WVU is making these renovations and many other campus improvements possible, Bayless said.

Moving toward becoming a full division of WVU has provided great benefits to our students and the WVU Tech community,he said.We have and will have better facilities, more efficient operations, expanded academic programs and stronger student services�€such as career services, study abroad, social justice programs, etc.�€all of which help to create stronger graduates.

Bayless said WVU s Department of Facilities Planning has managed every detail of facility renovations at WVU Tech, and campus leaders are also working closely with WVU s Human Resources, Information Technology and Dining Services departments to strengthen other aspects of campus life.

WVU arranged financing to make the renovation of Maclin Hall and the Tech Center possible.

Bayless thanked Gov. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Legislature, the Higher Education Policy Commission, Chancellor Brian Noland and the WVU Board of Governors for their support and willingness to work to help make WVU Tech a stronger, more viable institution for the future.

The Legislature provided a one-time $3.2 million appropriation to modernize engineering laboratories and classrooms for the first time in decades.

Improvements at WVU Tech are already producing promising results. Freshman admission numbers for fall are strong, a good earlier indicator of potential enrollment growth.

WVU Tech and WVU employees are approaching the merger with optimism and enthusiasm, and I know that the benefits will continue to increase,Bayless said.

He stressed that academic endeavors at WVU Tech, including the schools flagship engineering program, will continue to operate independently.

Techs Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering and WVU s College of Engineering and Mineral Resources are the only two engineering schools in West Virginia accredited by ABET , the accrediting agency,he said.They will continue to be accredited separately, and there is no plan to merge them. While they both have the same primary objective�€educating West Virginias future engineers�€they serve the citizens of West Virginia in different ways.