Campus projects not glamorous — but they’re overdue, higher ed officials say

Maintaining campus facilities remains a critical need. Officials from the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State detailed capital funding requests totaling more than $700 million for higher education asset protection and replacement projects Wednesday.

During an informational hearing on the issue by the House Capital Investment Committee, Minnesota State Chancellor Devinder Malhotra said the money makes a difference.

“Funding for HEAPR is more than bricks and mortar; it’s about the students we serve,” he said.

HEAPR is the university’s No. 1 priority, accounting for $200 million of its $373.1 million capital budget request, said Myron Frans, the university’s senior vice president for finance and operations.

HEAPR projects must address health, safety and accessibility, building systems, utility infrastructure and energy efficiency. The university seeks $167 million for 78 projects on the Twin Cities campus; $17.9 million for eight projects at Duluth; $5.9 million for 16 projects at Morris; $5.17 million for 47 projects associated with research and outreach centers and field stations; and almost $3.99 million for nine projects on the Crookston campus.

“These investments may not be glamorous, but they are essential for a safe and welcoming campus,” Frans said. 

He said a deferred maintenance backlog shows about a quarter of the system’s square footage is in poor or critical shape. The university would need about $200 million annually to keep up current facilities.

Capital requests from the University of Minnesota include:

• $92.6 million to renovate Fraser Hall to create a 117,000-square-foot chemistry teaching laboratory for all students on the Twin Cities campus. Funding for design was provided in the 2020 bonding bill;
• $60 million to build a new agricultural research complex, matched by $60 million in non-state funds;
• $12 million in design costs for a health science center in Duluth;
• $3.3 million for the heating plant in Crookston; and
• $3.3 million for the Multi-Ethnic Resource Center at Morris.

Minnesota State’s $348.7 million capital request includes $173.68 million for 65 HEAPR projects. Among the higher dollar projects would be $10.3 million to replace heating, ventilation and cooling at Moorhead; $8 million for the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud; and $6.7 million for HVAC replacement at Alexandria Technical and Community College.

There is also $175 million for 19 other major capital projects, including:

• $23.1 million for renovations at Weld Hall at Minnesota State University Moorhead;
• $22.03 million for a technology and business center renovation at Inver Hills Community College;
• $21.47 million for a technical/trade lab addition and renovation at Pine Technical and Community College; and
• $20.46 million for a management education center at Minneapolis Community College.