The president of the Board of Regents listed a renovation of Iowa State’s chemistry facilities as one of the Regents’ top three capital priorities going into the Regents’ regular meeting that will be held Wednesday and Thursday at the Scheman Building.

Board President Michael Gartner said the Regents will tour Gilman Hall Thursday morning to assess the condition of the university’s chemistry facilities.

“It’s been established as a priority, and I think it’s important that the other Regents realize what shape [Gilman Hall] is in,” Gartner said.

Although the Regents will take no specific action during this week’s meeting regarding Gilman Hall, he said the process to begin renovations should begin this year.

“Construction of a new building is a process,” he said. “The first thing you do is set aside money to conduct a study, then you set aside money for plans, then ultimately you set aside money to do the actual building. I think that process will start this year.”

He said the renovation of a hygienic lab at the University of Iowa built in 1917 and the construction of a building for the School of Public Health, also at Iowa, are also in the Regents’ top three capital priorities.

Iowa City Regent Robert Downer said the Regents will also discuss a recent proposal from Gov. Tom Vilsack that would provide increased funding for bioscience research at the Regent Universities.

“This is going to involve the department of economic development and the Board members going forward together and working out exactly how that will work,” Downer said.

The governor’s plan calls for as much as $50 million in increased funding for biosciences, he said.

If approved by the Legislature, Gartner said the funding would be allocated over the next three years.

“It would be folly for me to predict if the plan will pass, but I think there’s widespread interest among legislators and university and Regent officials,” he said.

Warren Madden, ISU vice president for business and finance, said holding the meeting on campus allows for more ISU involvement.

“It does provide opportunity for those connected to Ames and ISU to be present. We get a little more visibility, and more media from local areas will be present,” he said.

The tour of Gilman Hall, he said, would not have been possible if the meeting had been scheduled to take place elsewhere.

Government of the Student Body President Angela Groh said that although the agenda does not include any tuition issues, she will still attend the meeting, along with other GSB officials, and speak with the Board about future tuition hikes and the Partnership for Transformation and Excellence Plan, a four-year legislative state allocation plan for the Regents.

“I would have to say that it’s not as much what’s being discussed on the agenda, but taking a look at tuition structure and how it’ll be affected by the partnership plan,” Groh said.

She will also take interest in the search process for a new president at Iowa after President David Skorton resigned earlier in January to pursue the president position at Cornell University.