A renovation to the Human Nutritional Science Building to accommodate a relocated Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom and a textile teaching laboratory, is on the agenda for the Board of Regents’ September meeting, which will take place in Iowa City Wednesday and Thursday.
Iowa State University is requesting board permission to proceed with project planning for the building. Of the $11 million projected for the project, $9 million is privately funded.
The Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom would be 82% of the renovation, which is currently located in MacKay Hall, and according to Regents documents, “does not meet industry standards” and does not meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance requirements.
The Regents will also consider a replacement for LeBaron Hall, a project that would finish in summer 2026 and is budgeted at $39 million, 22% of which would come from university funding.
The building, built in 1958, is not fully ADA compliant and has poor air distribution, according to Regents documents.
“LeBaron’s necessary infrastructure to support high-tech, innovative equipment for program delivery and teaching and research laboratory design does not exist and cannot be added due to structural limitations in the building,” the Iowa State University Capital Improvement document states.
The LeBaron Hall replacement would include “innovative instructional spaces and a new general university classroom,” according to the document. The space would also feature teaching laboratories that would accommodate enrollment demands.
Among other construction projects Iowa State recommends the regents approve descriptions and budgets for:
- A $2.45 million remodel for Seasons Marketplace.
- A $12 million renovation for the Scheman Building, which would finish in summer 2025.
- A $4.2 million remodel to the Bruce McKee Indoor Tennis Complex in West Ames, a project to be entirely funded by the athletic department.
Iowa State will request approval from the Regents to lease the ISU Research Park’s tennis facility for 20 years, a deal that would result in no rent paid by Iowa State University once the $5.9 million construction costs are paid for.
Citing the communication studies major as a “broader, more workplace-applicable course of study,” Iowa State will request to terminate speech communication as a major.
The fewer than 10 students majoring in speech communication will be able to finish out their courses of study within three years.
The university stated it will not lose any staff members as a result, and will save over $75,000 by eliminating 10 speech communication courses.
The Regents will also discuss state appropriations, specialized retirement incentive programs as a result of the reimagine LAS initiative, health insurance and dental rates for faculty and students and more.
