Regents History: December 3, 1998
Board Membership
- Owen Newlin, President, Des Moines
- Lisa Ahrens, Osage
- James Arenson, Cedar Rapids
- David Fisher, West Des Moines
- Clarkson Kelly, Charles City
- Ellengray Kennedy, Bancroft
- Roger Lande, Muscatine
- Nancy Pellett, Atlantic
- Beverly Smith, Waterloo
Highlights
The Board awarded Knutson Mid-America Construction Services a $40.4 million contract to build a medical education and bioresearch facility on campus at the University of Iowa. Finished in 2002, the Medical Education Research Facility (MERF) now serves as one of the university's initial touchpoints for first-year medical students.
The Board approved the appointment of Richard Seagrave as interim provost of Iowa State following the resignation of Provost John Kozak. Seagrave also served as interim president of ISU the following year after President Martin Jischke accepted the presidency at Purdue University. Seagrave earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering from ISU and served as an Iowa State faculty member for decades after his initial 1966 appointment. He was an Anson Marston Distinguished Professor and President of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET). The Richard C. Seagrave Professorship in the ISU Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering is named in his honor.
The Board approved phases 1 and 2 of Iowa State’s Hawthorn Court project, a new student housing development on the ISU campus, by a 5-3 vote with Regents Arenson, Kelly and Newlin voting no. Regent Arenson sparked considerable debate when he asked ISU representatives about Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance for all 23 proposed buildings, specifically regarding elevator access. Plans called for seven of the 23 buildings to feature elevators and Arenson was adamant that every building should feature an elevator. Iowa State then presented a revised project plan at the February 1999 meeting. Hawthorn Court was renamed Frederiksen Court after longtime longtime ISU Director of Residence Charles Frederiksen in 2002. All 29 buildings include elevator access.
