Regents History: April 15, 1996
Board Membership
- Marvin Pomerantz, President, Des Moines
- Thomas Collins, Cedar Rapids
- Thomas Dorr, Marcus
- Ellengray Kennedy, Bancroft
- Aileen Mahood, Ida Grove
- Owen Newlin, Des Moines
- Nancy Pellett, Atlantic
- Beverly Smith, Waterloo
- John Tyrrell, Manchester
Meeting Highlights
The Board voted to table a vote on the University of Iowa’s Health Sciences Campus Capital Plan, despite President Pomerantz’s passionate support. UI requested permission to proceed with project planning for numerous UI Health Care projects that would demolish the nearly 90-year-old Steindler Building, re-route portions of Newton Road and create new, more modern Health Sciences facilities in what was, at the time, the largest UI capital project in history. Regents Dorr and Collins, perhaps reeling from sticker shock at the project’s $100 million price tag, requested more time to review the proposal and final action was moved to the May 1996 meeting. During the month’s delay, the Regents visited the site with UI President Mary Sue Coleman and were swayed enough to pass the proposal unanimously in May. This vote helped lead to the 1998 UI Campus Master Plan and ultimately to the construction of the Medical Education and Research Facility (MERF) in 2002 and the Carver Biomedical Research Building in 2005.
The Board approved a request from Iowa State to award an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to Dr Marion E. (Gene) Ensminger. Ensminger founded International Ag-Tech Schools in 70 different countries and wrote more than 20 books on animal production and human nutrition, forgoing his book royalties in an effort to encourage their usage around the world.
At the February 1996 meeting, the Board approved schematic design for the UNI School of Music Classroom Building/Performing Arts Center, subject to final approval of the “exterior skin” of the building. President Pomerantz stated at that meeting that “the building would be campus for 100 or more years” and serve as a landmark on campus before asking for a redesign using alternate materials to the brick and limestone proposal. UNI and its architectural team returned in April with a revamped look for the project, incorporating more metal and glass and a “wing-like” element as the signature entry piece. The Board approved the reworked plans and today the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center is indeed a landmark on campus – “wing-like” glass entry and all.
