Mississippi State University will exchange three acres of land from the corner of East Boulevard and Coliseum Boulevard for 2.5 acres of land from the Mississippi Baptist Convention. The land from MBC includes the Baptist Student Union building and its surrounding area.

Jerry Gilbert, provost and executive vice president for MSU, said the transaction will benefit both parties.
“It’s really a win-win for both of us because we get a building without having to invest cash into building a building,” he said. “They (MBC) get a location where they can build a larger facility.”
Weaver McCracken, director of collegiate ministry at MBC, said the exchange will be a beneficial arrangement for students as well.
“We’re really happy about this whole transaction,” he said. “We’ve been good partners on expanding the lives of students.”
Bill Kibler, vice president for Student Affairs, said the land exchange has already been approved by the board of trustees of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.
The exchange will take place once MBC raises the extra money needed to construct the new building, he said.
MSU may allow BSU to stay on the property for an extended amount of time if it needs more time to raise money.
“We don’t want to put them out on the street until they have a new location to meet in,” Gilbert said.
McCracken said MBC has already raised $2 million for the new building, which should cost around $3 to $4 million dollars. MBC should have the rest of the money by late 2012.
Currently BSU has 400 to 500 students involved in activities, and that number is expanding. The new building will house about 800 students, he said.
 
Gilbert said one of MSU’s goals is to have more classrooms and student-based services located near the Drill Field. By purchasing the BSU building, MSU can move administrative support, as well as services students do not regularly use, away from the Drill Field and into the BSU building, which frees up space near the Drill Field for classrooms and student services.
Kibler said an example of how MSU could use the extra space would be moving Parking Services or Information Technology Services into the BSU building since students do not use those services often.
MSU could also use the BSU building for emergencies, such as temporarily relocating classrooms and offices from a building that is undergoing renovations or has water damage, Gilbert said.
The BSU building will need minor renovations once MSU acquires it.
“It’s not going to require extensive major renovations,” he said.
According to the October 2011 IHL board of trustees book, asbestos was found in several locations in the BSU building and will cost the university approximately $5,100 to remove. No major evidence of recognized environmental conditions were found on the property.
McCracken said asbestos is a typical problem of buildings constructed in the ’60s and will not be very expensive to fix.
MSU will inherit a building in good shape and will serve its purpose of relocating services that should be located near the edge of campus. The building also comes with parking, Kibler said.
He said the three acres of land MSU is selling is too small to build a new residence hall or to have a major use.
Because MSU is exchanging a larger amount of land than MBC, MBC will have to pay MSU the difference in the values of the properties.
“They’re getting a little more land for a bigger footprint on their building in exchange for giving us their old building,” Gilbert said.
MSU has been talking to MBC about the land exchange for a year and a half.
“The BSU and its leadership has recognized the need to get a larger facility, so they have been planning … for quite a while,” Gilbert said.