Board reviews University of Iowa capital requests including $81.4 million Memorial Union renovation

University of Iowa officials asked the Board of Regents’ property and facilities committee on April 23 to approve three capital projects including an $81.4 million renovation of the Iowa Memorial Union (IMU) aimed largely at fixing long‑deferred maintenance and consolidating student services.

The IMU project would be funded through a combination of undergraduate and graduate student fees and the student health services reserve fund, the university said. Rod Lennertz, the campus presenter, told the committee the plan remains the same as the version previously reviewed: a multi‑phase construction schedule beginning in spring 2025 and extending into spring 2027 and a project budget of $81,400,000. Lennertz said the project “will address more than $55,000,000 in deferred maintenance and long standing systems” in a building originally constructed in 1925.

Why it matters: Regents members emphasized the scale and timing of the request. Regent Barker said she would vote no on the IMU renovation because she was not convinced the project was “necessary” given rapid change in higher education finances. Another regent noted that the student body had voted to permit using fees for the project and described that as an important signal of student support.

Other Iowa projects on the capital register included a $3.3 million renovation of a UI Health Care hematology‑oncology clinic in the Kimberly Road building in Bettendorf. University staff said UI Healthcare earnings and equity would fund that project and that the work would replace and upgrade specialized HVAC and electrical systems to support computed tomography and linear‑accelerator equipment in roughly 7,100 square feet; the work would address an estimated $2.3 million in deferred maintenance and is scheduled to start in fall 2025 with completion in spring 2026.

A third request would allow the university to raise (vacate/remove) the Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD) building to clear the footprint for the planned hospital tower. Lennertz told the committee the CDD building was built in 1954, had aging systems and its programs would be relocated into hospital space or leased facilities ahead of the tower project. David Keft later described lease plans tied to the same program transitions.

The committee also heard a reimbursement resolution from Brad Berg that would permit the university to reimburse itself from future tax‑exempt bond proceeds for costs of the IMU project; Berg said the resolution “provides flexibility on allowable uses of those bond proceeds.” No roll‑call vote was recorded in the transcript for these items; staff said the items would be recommended for general consent.

What to watch: Regents asked for additional detail on fundraising and long‑term tuition/fee effects during later board consideration. Several regents flagged the broader fiscal environment and urged care before starting large projects.

Speakers quoted or named in the meeting included Rod Lennertz (university presenter), Brad (Bridal) Hawes (UIHC CEO), Brad Berg (board/finance presenter) and several regents. The committee recommended the items for general consent and did not record a formal roll‑call vote in the transcript.