About 43 percent of the University of Minnesota’s 2014 state funding request is money to renovate and maintain buildings throughout the system.
Per student capita, the Twin Cities dominates the $100 million Higher Education Asset Preservation and Renovation request, representing 84 percent of the total amount.
“On our Twin Cities campus alone, about 30 percent of all of our buildings went up 70 years ago or longer,” University President Eric Kaler said at a legislative briefing Feb. 12.
The Twin Cities campus is considerably older than the coordinate campuses and operates more University divisions, potentially warranting more renovations.
This year’s request for HEAPR funding, which is separate from the state’s appropriation for University research and operations, is a significant part of the total $233 million state funding request. This legislative session, state leaders will focus heavily on construction and upkeep projects throughout the state.
HEAPR funding is allocated system-wide using a formula based on the conditions of a campus’s facilities and the area’s total square footage.
Since 2000, the University has typically received about half of its HEAPR request. Last year, the state allocated $50 million to the institution for building upkeep and maintenance.
The Minnesota House of Representatives’ Higher Education Committee will hear the University’s 2014 capital request for the first time this legislative session Monday.
