Teams prepare to move to renovated Warren Madden Building
July 10, 2025
Author: Anne Krapfl | Image: Christopher Gannon
About a dozen employee teams are preparing to move in a few weeks to renovated spaces in the Warren Madden Building on the north side of campus. For some, it's a return home, for others, it's a new home. A notable change will relocate university human resources' (UHR) benefits and service center teams from the third floor of Beardshear Hall to just inside the south doors of Warren Madden Building, providing ready, welcoming access to those services for new hires, current employees and retirees.
For several years, UHR leaders had been looking to move the rebranded ISU Employment and Benefits Center to a location that was easier for users, said director of HR information management Mindi Balmer. Access restrictions on Morrill Road and the gradual shift of many employees to partial or full remote work have made the top floor of Beardshear an inconvenient spot to reach for many, she said.
"Warren Madden Building will be an easy stop for employees and retirees," she said. "The parking lot immediately south of the building is available to employees and student employees using services in the building."
She also noted that four CyRide routes stop outside the building.
Who's moving in?
Previous occupants moving back to the building include procurement services, payroll, benefits accounting and compliance, tax reporting and compliance, internal audit, state auditor and the administrative office for specialty business services and cultural arts. Information technology services, which had a large presence in the building, will have a set of workspaces designated for hybrid/hoteling options for any of its teams.
In addition to the UHR team moves, several employee teams from the central research enterprise will be new tenants after fall semester begins. They are the research ethics staff from Kingland Building and all vice president for research (VPR) employees in Pearson Hall: Grants hub, sponsored programs administration and others. The UHR and VPR leadership teams and support staffs will remain in Beardshear Hall.
A portion of the second floor in Warren Madden Building will remain unoccupied until future occupants are confirmed.
Risk management, which had offices in Administrative Services Building in January 2024, will have space in the Communications Building once a renovation project in the northeast part of the building is completed in late summer. Risk management is part of the department of public safety, which occupies other areas of the building.
Reopening in August
The former Administrative Services Building was forced to close in mid-January 2024, following a weekend discovery of a burst interior pipe and significant water damage. Last fall, during the closure, the university received final Iowa Board of Regents approval to rename the building to honor 1961 alumnus Warren Madden, who retired in 2016 as senior vice president for business and finance after serving the university for 50 years.
A dedication event for Warren Madden Building with the Madden family is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 19. Most, if not all the units will have moved in by then.
A phased move-in is scheduled to begin the week of Aug. 18. The move-in intentionally is scheduled across the last two weeks of August and the first two weeks of September to accommodate customer needs as well as furniture and equipment move-in and setup for each group.