University of Minnesota seeks HEAPR, Saint Paul campus center and dental-school renovations in 2026 capital request

University of Minnesota leaders presented the system’s 2026 capital request to the House Committee on Higher Education Finance and Policy, emphasizing asset preservation, a proposed Saint Paul Campus Center and renovations to Moose Tower (the School of Dentistry).

Alice Roberts Davis, vice president for university services, said the university’s top priority is a $100 million HEAPR (Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement) request to address asset preservation such as roofs, windows and HVAC across campuses. She outlined two additional priorities: an $84 million Saint Paul Campus Center to replace the existing student center and McGraw Library footprint, and a $100 million renovation of Moose Tower to modernize the state’s only dental school.

Roberts Davis described HEAPR as the “anchor” of the state request and pointed to prior legislative support: she thanked committee leaders for authoring HEAPR funding last year and said that past HEAPR investments are already visible in replaced roofing and other repairs.

Student testimony underscored the campus conditions the projects aim to fix. Riley Hetlands, identified as undergraduate student body president and a Saint Paul campus student, told the committee there are “flooding, there's mice, there's asbestos, there's power outages, and probably most devastating for me and my classmates, there are no food options,” arguing the new campus center would restore community spaces and services.

Dean Keith Mays said Moose Tower — long unrenovated — supports a teaching, research and clinical enterprise that provides roughly 90,000 patient visits annually and trains a majority of Minnesota’s dentists. He and other university witnesses argued modernizing the dental school will expand clinical capacity, integrate new technologies and help address a statewide dentist workforce gap.

Members asked about scope, economic impact and how the Saint Paul projects relate to a previously proposed farm project in Austin. Roberts Davis said the Austin project is being reevaluated and is not in competition with Saint Paul priorities; she also said the university is launching an internal reinvestment plan to leverage significant system funding while still seeking state partnership, and she cited a systemwide deferred-maintenance need in the billions.

Chair Wolgamott closed by urging continued advocacy for HEAPR, saying “HEAPR is cheaper,” and encouraging members to consider sustained approaches to funding maintenance rather than piecemeal emergency repairs. No committee action or vote on bonding was taken; the presentation was informational and committee members asked for further financial detail on project scopes and prior expenditures.