IOWA CITY – University administrators proposed an $87 million addition and renovation to Gilman Hall to the Iowa Board of Regents during its meeting Tuesday afternoon.

The project would construct an additional 100,000 square feet of research laboratories and upgrade teaching laboratories, computer labs, classrooms and office space. The proposal requests $69.5 million from the state legislature and $17 million of private funds to complete the project.

The Regents also approved the budgets for constructing the Alumni Center, an addition to the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital and renovations to the Memorial Union.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy said the update to the chemistry lab is the most pressing concern facing the university.

“If this is all we can get in the next several years, this is what we need first,” he said. “This is an ultra-critical facilities need for Iowa State.”

Iowa City Regent Robert Downer said the renovations correlate with the Regents Partnership Plan for Transformation and Excellence.

“This is a very critical need; clearly it fits at the heart of Iowa State University’s mission,” he said. “This may be a reach in what we are likely to get from the legislature. At the same time, if we can’t make the case for this, we can’t make the case for anything.”

Provost Benjamin Allen said the project is key to maintaining Iowa State’s academic base.

“It underpins education and research; it is critically important to our most important institutes, our science institution and Ames laboratory,” he said.

Edward Yeung, distinguished professor of chemistry, said chemistry is one of Iowa State’s core programs.

“We are the university of science and technology, and chemistry is a central science,” he said.

Yeung said although the most recent addition to Gilman Hall was completed in 1965, most of Iowa State’s peer institutions constructed new chemistry facilities within the past decade.

Geoffroy said renovating Gilman Hall would help retain apprehensive chemistry faculty members.

“I know five or six faculty who are entertaining outside offers – one we’ve already lost,” he said. “Four others we are working hard to do everything we can to retain. We hope we will be successful on them, but the facility is a very, very important part.

“Anything we can do to give encouragement to the faculty that we are going to be able to improve these facilities, that will help us enormously in keeping this department strong.”

Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance, presented budget proposals for a new $9.5 million Alumni Center, a $48.5 million addition to the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital and $20.8 million of renovations to the Memorial Union, all of which were approved by the Board.

The $87 million addition to Gilman Hall must be approved by the state Legislature before it can be built.