The following is a roundup of highlights from the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls:

Spring FY 2016 tuition freeze for UI resident undergraduates

The Board of Regents voted to maintain a tuition freeze for resident undergraduate UI students for the spring 2016 semester. The board had proposed a $100 increase for the spring semester but following objections by UISG, amended the proposal. However, Regents did approve a 3 percent increase in tuition for resident undergraduates at ISU and UNI this spring—a raise of $100 a semester for a full-time student.  

State appropriations requests for FY 2017 

The Board of Regents voted to request a 1.9 percent increase in state funding—about $4.5 million—to support the UI’s core mission during the 2017 fiscal year.

Iowa Code requires state entities to submit appropriations requests for the ensuing fiscal year to the state on or before Oct. 1.

New UI Children’s Hospital will cost more

The Board of Regents accepted an amended budget for the new UI Children’s Hospital that shows enhanced safety features, upgraded clinical programs, and increased labor costs have boosted the cost of the state-of-the-art facility to $360 million. According to hospital officials, the 14-story hospital is expected to be 507,200 square feet, which is 136,200 square feet larger than the previous design that was estimated to cost $292 million in June 2012.

The project is being funded by the UIHC building usage funds, revenue bonds, and gifts designated specifically for the new Children’s Hospital. No state capital appropriations are being used for the project, which is on track to be finished in fall 2016. Patients are expected to begin receiving care in December 2016.

Here’s a breakdown of design improvements and environmental factors that led to the cost increase:

Safety enhancements:

• Due to recent severe weather events—including a tornado that destroyed a hospital in Joplin, Missouri, in May 2011—greater focus was placed on the strength of the facade and resiliency of key mechanical systems during inclement weather.
• The building will have specially designed window systems that will better protect patients and staff against severe weather, such as a tornado or straight-line winds.
• The building will have a hardened mechanical room to better protect utilities and allow the hospital to remain in operation in case of severe weather.

Upgrades to Clinical Programs:

• The emergence of new pathogens, such as ebola, requires the hospital to include special isolation rooms that meet the needs of patients with deadly infections and the medical staff who care for them.  
• An increase in patients with mental health issues requires the addition of “safe rooms” that enable staff to provide necessary medical care while minimizing the potential for patients to injure themselves or others.
• The capability to provide dialysis services has been added to several units, including the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, to eliminate the need to transport critically ill patients to receive dialysis treatments.

Construction activity:

• A record $5 billion in large and complex construction projects are underway in Iowa and the surrounding region, creating a demand for skilled labor never before seen in the area. As a result, skilled laborers are receiving premium payments and incentives.
• However, despite such offers, the supply of skilled laborers is still not meeting the demand, resulting in delays and increased costs that account for $22.9 million of the new hospital’s increased costs.

Five-year state-funded capital plan FY 2017–2021

The Board of Regents accepted a five-year state-funded capital plan for fiscal years 2017–2021. The plan, which totals $116,000,000 includes money for projects involving Main Library and the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.