Good riddance: A 1960s science building at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, which faculty members call “an embarrassment,” will not reopen following a fire, according to the Honolulu Star Bulletin. University officials will shutter the building to consider what to do with it. A fire in late October, which may have been caused by an outdated electrical system, only added to the woes of those who used the building: The Internet connections did not work because there was inadequate power for the router box. Emergency showers did not have drainage. Termites have destroyed storage cabinets. One professor said that thousands of dollars worth of equipment and experiments have been lost to blown fuses. The newspaper notes that the backlog of maintenance at the university is staggering; a budget request before the governor asks for $48-million, but a vice chancellor says the total needs might amount to $225-million.

Honors goes home: The honors college at Ball State University will move into the 9,000-square-foot home once owned by late philanthropists Ed and Virginia Ball, giving the college a more-central location on campus, according to the Muncie, Ind., Star Press. (Ed Ball was the son of Edmund B. Ball, one of the five brothers who founded the Ball Corporation and helped create Ball State University.) The house, built in the 1930s, will undergo a $1.2-million renovation that will add classrooms, offices, and an elevator for the disabled. The Ed and Virginia Ball Foundation will provide most of the money for the renovation. The university owns land around the house, and officials say that buildings are planned for that area.

Lots going on in Lakawanna County: According to the Scranton Times-Tribune, colleges in Northeast Pennsylvania are building a number of new structures. Johnson College broke ground on a small classroom addition. Penn State’s Worthington Scranton campus broke ground on a $6-million, 11,000-square-foot business school. Lackawanna College is planning a community building that will house a school library, a public-safety department and police academy, and dormitory rooms. The University of Scranton is building a $26-million residence hall and a 118,000-square-foot, $35-million student center. Marywood University is planning a library expansion. And the Baptist Bible College and Seminary is planning to spend $50-million on projects over the next 15 years; a 70,000-square-foot addition to the student center, which would include basketball courts and a climbing wall, will be done by 2010.