Minnesota State and U of M present HEAPR requests; systems warn deferred maintenance threatens programs and enrollment

Representatives of Minnesota State and the University of Minnesota presented their 2025 asset-preservation (HEAPR) requests to the House Higher Education Committee, asking the legislature for regular and predictable capital funding to address growing deferred maintenance.

Brian Swanson, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities at Minnesota State, told the committee Minnesota State has 28,500,000 square feet of space in roughly 843 structures on 54 campuses and that much of the inventory is aging; many buildings are at or past 50 years of service. Swanson said the system’s footprint is overbuilt for current needs and that deferred maintenance continues to grow because state capital investment and operating resources have not kept pace with inflation. He described three priority approaches: demolition of end-of-life buildings, repair and replacement appropriations in the operating budget, and HEAPR bond funding. "The 25,000,000…