The Penn State Board of Trustees approved on Friday the final plans for the construction of the $215 million Millennium Science Complex.

The 275,600 square foot complex, which will combine the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and the Materials Research institute, will be built near the intersection of Bigler and Pollock Roads, Gary Schultz, senior vice president for finance and business, said during Friday's board meeting at the Nittany Lion Inn.

The building, which will be L-shaped, will have space for research labs and classrooms. It will also feature "green roofs," which will help reduce rainwater runoff and will lengthen the life of the roofs, Schultz said.

Construction will be completed in the summer of 2011, Schultz added.

Penn State President Graham Spanier also announced the university will request about $377 million in state appropriations for the 2009-10 academic year, a 6.9 percent increase from last year based on current funding levels, Spanier said. Last year, the commonwealth approved a 1.2 percent increase in state funding, Spanier said, adding about 9.4 percent of the university's budget comes from state appropriations. Penn State received about $338 million from the state for the current academic year, according to the university budget Web site

The board approved $1 million of the requested appropriations to be allotted for need-based student aid.

Check Monday's Daily Collegian for the full story.