A peek at the summer construction season

By Anne Krapfl
May 29

 

Summer is anything but slow for the professionals in facilities planning and management who oversee campus construction projects. Inside provides a quick look at about a dozen projects starting, finishing or continuing this summer, with our thanks to the managers who shared their project updates with us.

 

Projects contained to summer 

East side intersection

Reconstruction of the intersection at University Boulevard and Sixth Street, including roadway, sidewalks and new traffic signals, began May 19 and will continue into the first week of August. The project also moves a CyRide bus stop in the intersection's northeast corner further north and adds sidewalk along University Boulevard to the bus stop. The road work will be done in phases, first the northbound lanes, followed by the southbound lanes (estimated to begin around June 19). Single-lane vehicle traffic in each direction will be maintained throughout the project. Sixth Street between University Boulevard and the Brookside Park entrance is closed during the first phase, and the CyRide headquarters east driveway from University Boulevard will be closed during the second phase. The project budget is $955,000.

Communications Building suite remodel

Office suite 1200 in the east addition to the Communications Building is getting a $470,000 refresh this summer for future use by the department of public safety (DPS). Building security services, which includes key management, was transferred from facilities planning and management to DPS in November 2023 to align campus safety functions within one unit. The key service desk, which remained at 108 General Services Building, will relocate to the suite when this renovation is complete.

The project doesn't include any structural changes. Improvements include new carpet, paint, lighting, furniture and a rubber floor in the key making room. Coil "windows" (essentially an overhead roll-up door) will be installed at two new key service desks. Furniture removal has started, and the lighting, flooring and painting should be done by late July, when furniture installation can begin. Staff should move in by mid-September. Existing metered parking along the east side of Communications Building will service key/card customers.

Updates to the Towers

Promising admission numbers and projections for near-capacity in the university's residence halls led to the residence team's decision to return Wallace and Wilson halls to their original double-occupancy design capacity. That means about 1,100 students will live in the halls this fall. Over the summer, some updates will be made in preparation, including a new roof on Wilson and new student furniture throughout Wallace.

Replacement of three central campus parking lots

Reserved lots 8 (south of Hoover Hall), 16 (west of Parks Library) and 36 (east of Physics and Wilhelm halls) are being redone concurrently this summer. The size and capacity of the lots won't change. Work includes removing and replacing the concrete paving and installing new storm water intakes, lighting and sidewalks. Additional work will add electrical conduits beneath Lot 8 and a larger water line beneath Lot 36 to increase the water service capacity to Physics and Zaffarano halls. Lot 36 also will be regraded to reduce the slope of the parking area and sidewalk. The lots are closed now and, barring significant weather delays, will reopen in mid-August. The project budget is $2.7 million.

Campus services, logistics and support services, and postal and parcel staff are working with occupants of buildings adjacent to these lots to minimize the impact to their services.

Projects beginning this summer

South 16th Street widening

A city of Ames two-summer project to widen South 16th Street to four lanes between University Boulevard and Apple Place, adjacent to the College of Veterinary Medicine campus, is anticipated to start in June, pending the city council's approval of the contractor on June 10. The project will construct a four-lane road with curb and gutter and 10-foot-wide shared use paths on both sides of the roadway and replace the street lighting. While a city project, numerous university teams, including real estate and capital planning, Vet Med leaders, facilities planning and management, recreation services and athletics, have supported the planning for this project.

Roughly the east half of the project will be completed this summer, the west half in the summer of 2026, with strict deadlines to complete or stop work prior the the start of the Cyclone football season each year. Single-lane vehicle traffic in each direction will be maintained during both phases. While the intersection with Riverside Drive is being reconstructed this summer, traffic will be detoured along the frontage road between Riverside and Christensen drives (south of South 16th) which will be modified to accommodate the additional traffic. The Vet Med multi-use trail might close for up to 30 days this summer. Pedestrians and cyclists who use the trails along South 16th Street should seek alternate routes during construction.

Hyland Avenue reconstruction

Hugging the west edge of campus, this city of Ames street reconstruction project will include full road and curb replacement on Hyland from Ontario Street to Pammel Drive, and patch replacement in a handful of locations between Pammel Drive and Lincoln Way. Existing bike lanes in the Hyland roadway between Ontario and Oakland streets will be relocated to a new shared-use path along the west side of Hyland.

The first of four phases has closed the road from Ontario Street to just north of the Unitarian Universalist worship center (1015 Hyland Ave.) for five to seven weeks, weather dependent. During phases 2 and 3, from the worship center entrance to just south of Pammel Drive, Hyland will reopen to through traffic. A temporary traffic signal will control alternating northbound and southbound traffic, first using the northbound lane (phase 2), then the southbound lane (phase 3). Access to Pammel Drive will close during phases 2 and 3, each anticipated to last about five weeks. Phase 4 will focus on the shared use path along the west side of Hyland Avenue, including a transition area at the intersection of Hyland Avenue and Oakland Street. This project will continue into the early part of fall semester.

Projects wrapping up this summer

Warren Madden Building renovation

Additional remodeling on floors one and two of the former Administrative Services Building was coordinated to make use of the months the building has been closed to repair water damage following a burst water pipe in January 2024. About $1.8 million in water damage repair work wrapped up earlier this semester.

The supplementary $1.9 million project creates additional office and conference room spaces on the first floor, replaces carpeting in areas not impacted by the water damage and replaces the 25-year-old furniture with an electric-powered panel and furniture system. Move-in is anticipated for late summer, with a building rededication planned for early fall.

Stange Road reconstruction

Stange Road south of the Veenker golf course entrance is a university street, so this second summer of reconstructing the roadway, including sidewalks, is a university project. Weather-dependent, the goal is to complete all work by late August. The northbound 2.5 lanes are removed and new concrete is poured and curing. The goal is to open the new lanes to two-way traffic in mid-June, when demolition of the southbound lanes will begin. During part of this phase, a temporary gravel driveway will be installed south of Veenker Drive to maintain access to the golf course. This $3.65 million project doesn't extend into the Stange/13th Street intersection.

CyTown parking lots

The final section of new parking (lot B5) in the CyTown development will be available for tailgating on Aug. 30, the Cyclones' first home football game. Work on B5 is anticipated to begin around July 1, pending progress on the new McFarland Clinic facility at CyTown. Crews currently are installing geothermal wells for the new building beneath what will be Lot B5. The McFarland Clinic building is scheduled for completion in fall 2026.

Continuing projects

Restrooms remodel in Friley residence hall

A multi-year, nine-phased project to modernize all the bathrooms in Friley Hall, home to 1,200 students, will be paused in late July, when the fourth "stack" of restrooms is completed. The most recent three stacks were at least partially completed during an academic semester, and department leaders will assess that strategy and its impact on the student experience. The plan is to resume the project during fiscal year 2027. In each phase, the complex process starts with demolishing the existing room. Without expanding its footprint, sinks remain in a communal arrangement, and to provide better privacy, showers and toilets each are in a small room with full door. Plumbing, mechanical and lighting systems all get replaced in the renovation.

Veterinary Diagnostic Lab: phase 2

Work began last May on a $66.5 million second wing at the VDL on the College of Veterinary Medicine campus. When it's completed, estimated for late fall 2026, all functions of the VDL will be under one roof. Like phase 1, which opened in March 2024, the phase 2 wing features laboratory spaces for different functions of the VDL as well as its administrative offices. Conference rooms and employee break spaces included in phase 1 will service the entire facility.

Funding comes from dollars directed to Iowa in the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and pledged in 2023 by Gov. Kim Reynolds ($40 million), an $18 million state appropriation (Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund) in fiscal year 2024, college funds ($6.5 million) and private gifts ($2 million).

LeBaron Hall replacement

A two-year process to demolish and replace LeBaron Hall is on schedule for fall 2026 completion. Work to erect steel framing and floor decking will wrap up in mid-June, when concrete floors can be poured. In early July, installation of the cast stone external walls will begin. Before winter, windows and doors will be placed so internal work can begin. Features of the $39 million building include a 100-seat university classroom; teaching, production and design studios for the apparel program; experiential learning space for the event management program and a historic textiles and clothing lab. Private gifts ($30.4 million) and university funds ($8.6 million) will cover the project.

Completed projects

Therkildsen Industrial Engineering Building

Work on the new home of the industrial and manufacturing systems engineering department, which began in December 2022, wrapped up this spring with a May 1 ribbon cutting by the lead donors, alumni C.G. "Turk" and Joyce Therkildsen. Faculty and staff are moving into their office spaces this summer. The $70 million project is covered with private gifts, including the Therkildsens' $42 million gift.

McKee Volleyball Center

Over the last year, the former McKee tennis facility on South Dakota Avenue in west Ames was converted to a home for the Cyclone volleyball program. Because the volleyball roster includes more student-athletes than the tennis team's, locker, training and team rooms were replaced and enlarged, and the practice area now features two courts with a rubber athletic floor. A new mezzanine level creates space for coaches' offices. The team has been training in the remodeled building since March. Athletics department funds covered the $4.2 million cost.

This spring, the Cyclone tennis team used its new facility in the ISU Research Park.

 

An efficient approach to assisting research project teams

By Anne Krapfl
May 29

Over the decade or so associate professor Ben Van Dusen has competed successfully for National Science Foundation (NSF) research funding, he hadn't worked with a research project manager -- a part- or full-time professional who helps keep things on schedule, on budget and in compliance. The School of Education associate professor said now he can't imagine not having that assistance.

He said the benefits go beyond the "time and mental space" it frees for him to focus on his research on student learning and more effective assessments. He believes project manager Nicole Scott, office of the vice president for research (VPR), makes his team better and ultimately, more competitive in its quest for NSF next-phase funding of up to $70 million.

Scott is one of three project managers on the VPR's ResearchPOST (Project Operations and Strategy Team), a new post-award initiative supported the last two years with 2022-31 strategic plan funds totaling $315,000. The other two project managers, Stacy Renfro and Marc Peterson in the Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence, split their work weeks between the two units.

The three are available for part-time assignments on research teams -- in any field -- that would benefit from the professional help but whose projects aren't yet large enough to warrant a full-time project manager. Long-term, the goal is to grow their team, preferably with project managers who would transition to other projects instead of leaving Iowa State when a big project wraps up.

"We want to build and retain that talent while also executing research that has the most impact possible," Renfro said.

Researchers always will select who's on their team, but ResearchPOST could help identify projects that are winding down and project managers coming available.

Associate vice president for research Jim Reecy, who wrote the strategic plan proposal, said project managers operating as "free agents" meant a lot of talent and valuable expertise inevitably would leave campus -- mostly because there wasn't a structure or a network to identify other project work for them.

"On the really big projects, our faculty know they need this kind of help," Reecy said. "But there's a whole bunch of projects in the middle that are bigger than a faculty researcher has time to organize -- but smaller than needing a full-time project manager on it."

ResearchPOST's fee-for-service model is designed to meet a team's needs. Key activities team leaders could hand off to a project manager include:

• Monitoring spending, deliverables and budgets.
• Facilitating team meetings and advisory board discussions.
• Planning for and ensuring a project hits milestones and deadlines.
• Maintaining documentation and sponsor reporting.
• Ensuring protocols are in place for compliance.
• Supporting a project launch (team setup, leadership roles, agreements, etc.).
• Serving as liaison between a project, external collaborators and the public.
• (In the current environment) Helping teams pivot to other opportunities if federal funding diminishes.

Giving time back to faculty

Research teams can contract with a project manager for as little as 15% effort (six hours/week) or as short in duration as three months, perhaps to help stabilize a project. That gives a team flexibility, particularly in the current climate of funding uncertainty. Agreements also can last several years, if that's what's needed. Scott's agreement with the Van Dusen team is quarter-time for 15 months.

"We see a lot of projects, so we get really good at identifying the challenge. We use our knowledge base, our connections with offices on campus, to find people with the right skills to come up with solutions," Scott said. "To start, we meet with faculty, talk about their needs and propose a framework. We make sure we rightsize the request with the need."

Reecy noted it's cost-effective for a faculty researcher to hand off organizational tasks to a project manager. Plus, it's smart.

"Whenever we talk to faculty, time is the thing they never have enough of. This is a way to help themselves, provide more time to do the pieces they truly love to do and be more successful doing it because they've given those other tasks to someone who's really skilled at them," he said.

Network for all ISU project managers

Iowa State always will have full-time project managers. Reecy said all signs point to funders' interest in larger and more interdisciplinary projects. Last fall, Scott and Renfro launched the Research Project Management Council as a community of practice for P&S staff for whom managing sponsored research projects or programs is at least part of their job. So far, 54 employees have joined. The group meets quarterly to network, share best practices and strategies that worked, and address common challenges. Members also share documents in CyBox.

Scott and Renfro have begun to assemble what will be an online toolkit for project managers, a ready-made inventory of tools such as software (for example, when to use Smartsheet vs. Gantt charts), ISU resources, sample position descriptions and worksheets, or guidelines for effective team meetings.

"There's a body of knowledge here, so it makes sense to build a community to support each other," Renfro said. "Our project managers are going to be happier employees, and our research teams will be happier because they're better resourced."

Active in external network

Scott said another goal in the VPR's strategic plan proposal was to bring external expertise in professional project management to campus. She and Renfro are active in the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP). Many large research universities simply are working to organize their full-time project managers, so Iowa State's "meet the faculty where they are" part-time option is innovative. Last month, the two attended NORDP's national conference, where they presented on Iowa State's model.

They share what they learn from their external collaborators with the project managers council.

Reecy said a centralized project management service that offers part-time options always will require some central funding, which the VPR office is prepared to provide as the demand for services grows. ResearchPOST also will carry unused strategic plan funds into the new fiscal year to support its expansion.

Changes for Iowa State from the 2025 legislative session

By Lisa Schmitz, news service
May 29

The 2025 Iowa legislative session officially adjourned in the early-morning hours of May 15 after lawmakers worked through the night to finalize a state budget for fiscal year 2026.

The 123-day session also saw the passage of various bills and appropriations related to higher education. Gov. Kim Reynolds has until June 14 to sign or veto any of the 176 bills that cleared the legislature. By contrast, legislators introduced 2,360 bills this session.

In advance of the legislative session, Iowa State requested nearly $11.8 million in additional appropriations from the state for the fiscal year that begins July 1. University leaders didn't seek an increase to general university operating support but instead grouped seven funding requests into two focus areas: Enhancing Iowa's rural economy and supporting Iowa businesses.

The legislature approved about $1.7 million in additional appropriations for Iowa State that focus on the state's agriculture economy. They are:

• An operations increase of $1 million for the Agricultural Experiment Station, the state's only public agricultural research program.
• A $299,898 operations increase for the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL).
• A one-time appropriation of $250,000 for VDL moving expenses and equipment.
• A one-time $100,000 additional appropriation for livestock disease research.
• A new $50,000 appropriation to support a study on the ability of the state Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship's Choose Iowa food program to serve rural grocers.

Higher ed policy bills

The legislature also passed a series of higher education policy bills, four of which Reynolds has signed into law.

On May 6, Reynolds signed both House File 295: Accreditation Autonomy Act, which prohibits an accrediting agency from taking adverse action against an Iowa public university for following state laws, and House File 440: College Affordability Act, which requires the Iowa Board of Regents to:

• Establish tuition rates by April 30 of the previous fiscal year.
• Begin implementation of at least one work-study program in which a student engages in part-time employment while pursuing a degree, with the employer being financially responsible for the student's tuition.
• Conduct a study on establishing a "tuition guarantee program" across Iowa's three regent universities. This policy would guarantee that undergraduate students classified as Iowa residents during their first academic year of enrollment would not experience a tuition increase during their subsequent years of undergraduate enrollment for three consecutive academic years.

At the April 24 regents meeting, board president Sherry Bates announced a tuition study group, comprising regents David Barker and Christine Hensley, to "research the merits of a tuition guarantee program" for resident students at any regent university. Bates asked to receive the study group's report by the board's November meeting.

House File 889: Parental Leave was signed by the governor on May 27 and guarantees paid leave for state employees eligible for leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act: four weeks of paid leave for a parent who has given birth and one week of paid leave for a parent who has not given birth. The bill also guarantees four weeks of paid leave for state employees who adopt a child. Look for more information on what this means for ISU employees in the next Inside.

"After working on it for three years, the families-first bill is finally state law," Reynolds said in a statement after signing HF 889. "We are giving state employees paid parental leave, joining 24 other states and the federal government. This bill will provide the crucial time needed for employees to bond with their newborn children."

Reynolds also signed House File 856: DEI Ban on May 27. The bill prohibits state and local governments from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and authorizes the Iowa attorney general to bring enforcement action.

The governor has not yet taken action on Senate File 288: Pregnancy Accommodation, which would require regent universities and community colleges to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant students and those who recently gave birth. Universities and community colleges already are required to fulfill these accommodations under Title IX.

The Legislature maintains a regularly updated list of bills the governor has signed from Iowa's 91st General Assembly.

Council reviews feedback from P&S constituents

By Jeff Budlong
May 29

Councilors discussed the results of the 3-3-3 Constituent Communication Campaign during the Professional and Scientific (P&S) Council's final meeting of the 2024-25 academic year on May 22.

During the Dec. 5 meeting, councilors received an assignment to ask at least three workplace-related, open-ended questions of three new constituents, and spend three minutes summarizing each conversation after it was completed. The intent, said community relations committee chair Susan McNicholl, office of the vice president for research, was to gather feedback across the university's four divisions to help council members better understand where to focus their efforts.

After analyzing summaries from approximately 150 conversations with constituents, the community relations committee identified six areas for improvement:

• Reintroduce in-person onboarding for all new P&S employees.
• Maintain consistent transparency from university human resources regarding  ISU's classification and compensation model.
• Develop a consistent model for supervisor training across campus.
• Continue Workday support for existing and new employees and make clear where they can go to seek additional help.
• Ensure important information for P&S staff is being shared across campus.
• Ensure WorkFlex is being applied consistently across the same job titles and functions in the colleges.

McNicholl said the summary of information is not intended as a to-do list but a guide for the council going forward.

Some top takeaways the committee had from responses included a desire to return to in-person onboarding as part of new hire communication, with events held two to four times a year; written reclassification and promotion guidance for employees; better publicized supervisor trainings and a return to a university-sponsored management series for supervisors; and parameters for flexible work arrangements clearly stated in position descriptions and open employment notifications.

April elections

During the annual P&S Council online election April 21-25, 18 employees were elected or reelected to council seats. More than 1,000 ballots were cast. Members' three-year terms take effect July 1. The 18 vacancies this spring were distributed among the four division this way: 

• Academic affairs: 9
• Student affairs: 1
• Operations/finance: 4
• President’s division: 4

Other business

• The council approved the compensation and benefits annual report to be submitted to senior leaders to influence decisions regarding fiscal year 2026 budget plans. There were no questions or additional discussion since the first reading in April.
• Senior vice president and provost Jason Keith attended his first council meeting and spoke about successes and challenges during his first year. He praised the work of P&S employees for helping make Iowa State a welcoming and successful place and encouraged all employees to contact him with any questions.
• The professional development conference in February was at capacity with 331 P&S employees attending. The council will carry forward more than $6,000 of revenue from the event.
• The council's next meeting will be held in July, date and location to be announced later.

Summer guests on campus

By Jeff Budlong
May 29

It's summertime and campus will buzz with activities, conferences and camps. Inside compiled a list of events with an anticipated attendance of 100+ guests using ISU facilities. If you don't see your event or know of an event we missed, email inside@iastate.edu.

 

Event	Date	Venues	Attendance
Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference	May 21	Scheman Building	300
CoSMiC Space Mining Competition	May 21-24	Various	240
Special Olympics	May 22-24	Various*	3,000
Student Steel Bridge Competition national finals	May 30-31	Lied Recreation Center	800
Transfer Student Orientation	May 30, July 2	Various*	650 students, 650 guests
Cyclone Football Camp (multiple)	June 1-19	Bergstrom Football Complex	1,000 total
First-Year Student Orientation	June 2- July 1	Various*	5,000 students, 7,100 guests
Girls State Soccer Tournament	June 2-7	Various	2,500
Conference on Predictive Inference in Sports	June 4-5	Alumni Center	150
ISU Volleyball Camp: Elite	June 12	Lied Recreation Center	150
Cyclone Marching Academy Camp	June 13-14	Simon Estes Music Hall	200
USA Track and Field State Meet	June 14-15	Cyclone Sports Complex	1,000
USA Hockey 14U Camp	June 15-20	ISU Ice Arena*	120
ISU Volleyball Camp: Hitter	June 15	Lied Recreation Center	150
ISU Volleyball Camp: Serving Camp	June 15	Lied Recreation Center	150
ISU Volleyball Camp: Junior Cyclone	June 17-20	Lied Recreation Center	150
Dance Vision Spring Recital	June 19-22	Stephens Audiotrium	400 students, 3,000 guests
National Cheerleaders Association Camp	June 23-25	State Gym*	225
Iowa 4-H Conference	June 24-26	Various*	350 children
Conference: Iowa Swine Day	June 26	Fisher Theater	500
National Dance Associaiton Camp	July 6-9	State Gym*	200
BravO! National Dance Competition	July 7-13	Stephens Auditorium	2,000
ISU Volleyball Camp: Libero	July 9	Lied Recreation Center	125
ISU Volleyball Camp: Serving Camp	July 9	Lied Recreation Center	150
ISU Volleyball Camp: Setters	July 10	Lied Recreation Center	125
USA Track and Field Regional Meet	July 10-13	Cyclone Sports Complex	2,500
Iowa Summer Games	July 11-20	Various	8,000
ISU Volleyball Camp: All Skills Gold	July 15-17	Lied Recreation Center	100
National Senior Games Track and Field	July 26- Aug. 3	Cyclone Sports Complex	2,000
North American Solid State Chemistry Conference	July 28-31	Various*	150
Graduate Orientation	Aug. 1-30	Student Innovation Center	450
Nitrogen Use Efficiency Workshop	Aug. 4-6	Alumni Center	150
Great Plains Catalysis Symposium	Aug. 22	Howe Hall	125

*Participants will use ISU residence halls.

Despite damage, historic maple will remain on campus

May 29

A large black maple tree, one of two remaining original trees from the William M. Beardshear Memorial Grove on central campus, was severely damaged by strong winds during the weekend of May 16-18. The trees were dedicated in 1917 in memory of the former Iowa State College president, who served from 1891 until his death in 1902. Horticulture and forest and landscape architecture faculty agreed the mostly hollow tree should remain standing. Campus service arborists will trim it to ensure safety.

Rhonda Martin, campus landscape architect and manager of Iowa State's TreeCycle program, said there are several good reasons to leave part of the tree standing:

• Because the trunk contains several hollow spaces, it's possible the tree might have baby inhabitants (squirrels, raccoons) still housed in the tree. By leaving the trunk intact, the babies will have time to grow and leave the tree on their own.
• By leaving the tree and some short sections of the tree limbs jutting out from the trunk, the hope is to encourage hawks or owls to use the tree for perches -- perhaps even a nesting site.
• This presents an opportunity to demonstrate how vital and useful trees are to our ecosystem -- in this case not as TreeCycle wood for furniture but as habitat for campus wildlife.

Martin said seeds and cuttings from the tree will be gathered to try to cultivate seedlings. Successful seedlings would be planted back on campus.