Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

Jan. 16, 2004

Remodeling plans for Carver Hall will proceed

by Anne Krapfl
Specific redesign work on portions of the ground, first and second floors and all of third floor of Carver Hall can now begin, following Board of Regents, State of Iowa approval Jan. 14 of a program statement, schematic design and regents' building project criteria.

Plans for how to use Carver Hall space vacated by the College of Business began more than a year ago. The Business college moved to the Gerdin building last month.

The renovation work will consolidate the math department in Carver Hall, create three more general university classrooms and renovate space for these new tenants: the English department, lab and office areas for a psychology department research program (aggression and violence in society), OPPTAG (Office of Precollegiate Programs for Talented and Gifted), ethnic studies program, Institute of Science and Society, Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities, and the Program for Women in Science and Engineering.

The estimated cost stands at $2 million, with $300,000 from a state capital appropriation and the rest from university funds and ISU treasurer's investment proceeds.

In other business, the regents:

Approved an ISU proposal for the Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute. Focusing on research aimed at preventing substance abuse and other social problems, the institute will partner with ISU Extension and other institutes nationally. The research will involve schools and communities in testing, refining and sharing intervention efforts. Richard Spoth, currently affiliated with the Institute for Social and Behavioral Research, will direct the institute. Funding for the institute, estimated at $4.3 million this year, comes nearly all from National Institutes of Health grants. ISU Extension will contribute $100,000 from non-state resources.

Approved a revised budget ($1.99 million, up from $1.79 million) for the road and bridge project to realign Knoll Road with Union Drive east of the Memorial Union. The higher price tag is due to December construction bids that exceeded estimates, and higher-than-estimated costs to move utilities and cover site construction tests. Phase I of the project still is scheduled to begin in early March.

The regents' next meeting is Feb. 18-19 in Iowa City.