The Iowa State Ambassadors is working to get Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds to visit Iowa State in order to consider new building projects.

This past June Branstad vetoed a series of bills and as a result cut more than $100 million in spending from the state budget, including $7 million intended for the planning and design of building projects on each of the three Regent campuses.

Government of the Student Body President Spencer Hughes said the money would have been used for a biosciences building at Iowa State.

“The building eventually would allow those students to have access to the world-class facilities, allow us to maintain our position as a leader in the bioscience field,” Hughes said. 

Shannon Goes, director of ISU Ambassadors, said that the governor’s veto is one of the reasons he is being asked to visit Iowa State.

“Legislation that he passed that vetoed a new building on campus is one of the reasons that we’d like to show him some of the parts of Iowa State that need funding,” Goes said.

Hughes said Gov. Branstad visited the University of Iowa in October. A new pharmacy building at the University of Iowa was in the works to be planned had Branstad not vetoed the funding.

“When he visited the University of Iowa, the student government leaders at Iowa took him on a tour of their aging and crumbling pharmacy building,” Hughes said.

Hughes said when the governor visits Iowa State, he will be given a tour of some of the current bioscience facilities.

Hughes said Iowa State’s growing enrollment is another reason the state should be willing to invest in infrastructure at Iowa State.

“To not make investments in increasing our physical capacity, building wise, is not the right move,” Hughes said.

Goes said ISU Ambassadors has been in contact with Joe Murphy, who is the state relations officer for Iowa State. Murphy is coordinating the potential visit with the governor’s staff.

“We’ve kind of discussed what the purpose of the governor’s visit would be, what type of things we’d like to show him, that type of information,” Goes said.

Goes said part of the purpose of the visit is to show the Governor some of the great things Iowa State is doing.

“We’re planning on showing him some of our research facilities … Iowa State is definitely a research institution,” Goes said.

Branstad has already had an opportunity to visit the ISU research park earlier this year Goes stated.

Hughes said it is important the governor sees the campus and understands how Iowa State is currently operating. This is in response to claims by the governor that internet-based learning may diminish the need for physical class space in the future.

“We’d like to bring him here to show him what student life is like at Iowa State University, so he can see the students in the classrooms, especially in the hard sciences they need lab space, that kind of thing can’t happen online,” Hughes said. 

The governor’s office did not respond to a call regarding how often Branstad visits each of the three Regent campuses.