Walking through Potter Hall has become a dangerous sport. There are lockers as obstacles and practicing musicians as 
hurdles in the stairwells.
While construction of the new incubator is underway and a spring groundbreaking is scheduled for the math and science building, fine arts students and faculty want some upgrades, too.
Potter is on the priority list for capital improvement from the state of Missouri; however, it may be there a long while.
“The best we can hope for is four or five years,” said Beth Wheeler, director of external relations at Western. Wheeler feels it could be several years before state funds for the proposed renovations and expansion of Potter Hall are available.
“Capital is not high on the list when operating expenses cannot be met,” Wheeler said.
The cost attached to the Potter Hall proposal is $26 million, money the state is not able or willing to invest in capital improvements right now.
“There has been very little capital money from the state of Missouri in the last decade and very little beyond that,” said Dr. James Scanlon, Western’s president.
The last Western project funded through state capital dollars was the renovations to Murphy Hall and Eder Hall in 2000.
Built in 1969, Potter Hall houses the growing departments of music, art and theatre.
The building is bulging at the seams because enrollment has escalated beyond capacity.
“We’ve got double our choir and band enrollment from those in 1969 and majors have grown by 38 percent,” Wheeler said.
Western has now added a master’s program that will require even more unavailable space.
“We don’t have the space or the technology or the configuration of the building to accommodate those,” Wheeler said.
According to students, faculty and administration, Potter Hall is in need of renovation and expansion, especially because of the new master’s program.
“Until we can get a renovation and expansion, we’re doing a small renovation that will enhance art, theatre/video and music undergrad programs and provide space needed to begin the new master of applied arts degree,” said Dr. Matt Gilmour, chairperson for the department of music.
Students are also excited about the proposed renovations and expansion. “The biggest issue is room, said senior music major Javier Sanz. “Renovations will be completely awesome,” Sanz said.
Teachers, such as associate professor of art Geo Sipp, are looking forward to any renovations possible. “We’re just very eager to get going,” Sipp said. “We need to provide adequate current technologies for grad students and renovations this summer will provide us the opportunity to give our students the best instruction available.”
The renovation would include new classrooms, some with acoustic and soundproofing treatments, new lighting and sound systems, a new stage and new restrooms.
The expansion would include more seating in the performance hall, addition of art and music teaching studios, a large ensemble rehearsal hall, additional music practice rooms and space for exhibition of student artwork.
Some much needed storage space will also be added so the band instruments will have an inside room. The band has stored expensive instruments in a rented trailer for nearly a decade, which means moving the instruments in and out of Potter Hall every day for rehearsal.
More practice rooms would mean the end of rehearsals in stairwells.
While Potter Hall is a priority, Western’s campus would benefit from other capital improvements as well.
“There are an enormous number of things we could improve as capital projects. We would like to see more recreation facilities,” Provost Joseph Bragin said. Bragin would like to see more exercise facilities and facilities for students to hold major events.
“The students need to do something we could call co-curricular,” Bragin said.
While Western waits for capital funds for Potter Hall, there are other projects to appreciate. The Christopher S. Bond Technology Incubator, built with funds from a federal grant, is currently under construction, as anyone driving by can see, and the groundbreaking for Remington Hall is scheduled for this spring.
The roughly $38 million needed for the Agenstein renovation and Remington addition is not from state capital funds. The money is coming from a generous $5 million donation from Wes and Patsy Remington and from the Lewis and Clark Initiative.
“It (the Lewis and Clark Initiative) comes from the sale of selected assets of Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA),” Scanlon said.