While the administration is busy stretching SF State's budget for maximum protection of academic resources, it is also planning to build a new research facility that will increase university assets.

The Lakeview Center, which is in need of repairs, will be torn down and replaced with a new building that will better meet the needs of faculty, staff and program research projects, Vice President of Administration Finance Leroy Morishita said.

In preparation for demolition of the current Lakeview Center, the San Francisco Urban Institute, the Public Research Institute and other similar programs recently moved to a new off-campus location, the Pacific Plaza.

Morishita said the administration is not using and has no intention to use money from the university's general fund to help pay rent at the Pacific Plaza or for the Lakeview Center project. "You don't know how this stuff will work out, but there are no plans for school dollars to be spent there," he said.

Money the The Public Research Institute receives for conducting research for outside sources will pay for construction of the new Lakeview Center and rent at Pacific Plaza, Morishita said.

The Public Research Institute receives grants for research projects from a variety of sources including, municipal, state and federal governments and agencies. These grants are used strictly for housing research projects and the research itself but none goes to the university's general fund, Jim Wiley, director of the Public Research Institute said.

The Public Research Institute has to raise money to pay rent during the seven-year lease. They cannot be a drain on the campus resources, Wiley said.

"We're content with that," he said. "We have to be self-supporting."

Because the SF Urban Institute and the Public Research Institute are university projects that receive outside funding they are able to be moved off campus and pay rent, said SF State's Office of Space Management Sr. Project Manager Zalinda Zingaro.

The San Francisco Urban Institute receives funding from the university to pay core administrative costs. However, their projects are supported through grants, gifts and scholarships, Executive Directory Brian Murphy said. Even so, they are not responsible for paying rent at the Pacific Plaza, the administration is taking care of that, Murphy said.

Morishita said the rent is paid entirely through the Public Research Institute.

Other occupants of the Lakeview Center such as the Office of University Advancement, Public Affairs and the SFSU Foundation will also be moved out of the Lakeview Center eventually, but will remain housed on campus because they are divisions of the university, Zingaro said. The Urban Institute and Public Research Institutes move to an off-campus location was necessary because the campus does not have any empty space to house the groups, she said.

Christina Holmes, director of public affairs, said although they will be required to move eventually, Public Affairs will remain in the Lakeview Center for at least the next few months.

The new location in the Pacific Plaza is beneficial to the Public Research Institutes cause because they have more space for research and housing new research projects. People like to see them in a good location and research environment, it encourages funding for more research, Wiley said. The office environment of the Pacific Plaza suits the institutes research needs. They specialize in behavioral and social science that can be done in an office-- science labs are not needed.

Some current projects of the Public Research Institutes include: analyzing a survey done for the San Francisco City Controllers Office to determine citizens views on city services; research for the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities determining ways to build an infrastructure to train educators to research and teach the subject; and measuring alcohol consumption for the National Institute of Health.

The University is keen on developing space for research, Wiley said. With State funding going down the university is relying more on external sources, which means broadening its mission to include research. Having the facility makes research possible.

Wiley said some benefits allow faculty to make research a part of their careers, enabling them to learn about advancements in their field and pass that knowledge on to students in the classroom.