Cedar Falls – Several ISU-related items on Wednesday’s Iowa Board of Regents agenda passed without controversy – or much discussion – during the meetings at the University of Northern Iowa’s Maucker Union Old Central Ballroom.

In a flurry of activity during the latter half of Wednesday’s meetings, Regents members approved the formation of an ISU grape and wine institute and further planning on a new biosciences facility.

The Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute received approval from the board with no objections raised after a short presentation from Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Susan Carlson. The institute will become the first of its kind in Iowa.

The institute will provide the state’s burgeoning wine industry with grape and wine-making research. Carlson said the College of Agriculture’s institute has strong financial support from outside the university, including a “number of donors” involved in the state’s wine-making industry who will help cover the more than $760,000 in estimated costs during the next three years.

The Regents also approved a proposal to proceed with planning for a $63.3 million facility for the agricultural and biosystems engineering program to be built at an undetermined site.

“It’s a very long and complicated process to plan for capital needs,” Carlson said of the facility and its next stages of planning. “And it needs to be because so much money is involved. Once you decide on a building, it’s done and it is a major commitment.”

The Regents also gave the OK to a number of smaller proposals, including changes to the Lakeside Laboratory that were discussed at the Board’s August meeting and the formation of a new software engineering program that Carlson said will draw an estimated 50 students per year.

Meetings at Northern Iowa will conclude Thursday afternoon. The Regents will meet again Nov. 8 and 9 at Iowa State.