Minnesota State urges $200 million HEAPR and additional operating funding to repair aging campus facilities

Minnesota State Chancellor Scott Olsen and Associate Vice Chancellor Brian Swanson told the Senate Capital Investment Committee on Feb. 18 that the statewide system’s top capital priority is $200 million for HEAPR to address aging facilities across its 54 campuses.

Olsen said Minnesota State operates roughly 28.5 million square feet across 843 structures and that 40 percent of buildings are over 50 years old, representing 60 percent of system square footage. The chancellor said deferred renewal has grown steadily and that campuses need consistent capital funding to replace roofs, update HVAC, and address other code and accessibility issues.

Swanson described the system’s process for ranking projects and emphasized that HEAPR funds are legally restricted to certain renewal activities; he said HEAPR is typically the first program to be cut in bond-development negotiations despite its importance for preventive maintenance. Minnesota State also requested $25 million non‑recurring in the operating budget for demolition and $50 million non‑recurring for repair and replacement (the operating equivalent of HEAPR). Swanson said the system would like to “shrink its footprint” by demolishing obsolete space and modernizing existing facilities rather than acquiring new square footage.

Committee members discussed workforce alignment and program return-on-investment, with senators asking about repurposing space for high-demand career programs such as dental hygiene. Olsen and Swanson said campuses regularly repurpose space and identified Anoka‑Ramsey and South Central among bonding request projects that include health‑science components; they noted Century College and Brainerd are renovating dental hygiene programs currently.

No vote was taken; Minnesota State staff invited further discussion if committee members wanted to examine specific campus projects in more detail.