MARSHALL — The need for a new bonding bill to update aging infrastructure on the Southwest Minnesota State University campus was an apparent topic discussed in a listening session with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities board leaders last week.

SMSU hosted the listening session on Sept. 11 where faculty and community members voiced priorities and concerns to the state chancellor Scott Olson and board of trustees in preparation in presenting a proposal of collective ideas from various Minnesota colleges to legislation this November for the 2026-27 fiscal year state biennial budget request.

In a range of concerns and suggestions voiced, the need and importance of building infrastructure was mentioned by a few community members, and solidified by the board.

“Our last bonding project was in 2008 … That’s why we are very eager to have another project,” SMSU President Kumara Jayasuriya said. “Many universities around us are building new dorms and new buildings, and that’s what we have to compete with. We have done such a good job, because our programs are really at a high level, we have very good faculty and staff … But, we desperately need a new building or something with a bonding project.”

Marcy Heemeyer with North Star Mutual Insurance of Cottonwood voiced the reasoning of a sizable donation they made to the SMSU School of Business in Feb. 2023, echoing the idea that a university-wide bonding bill to create a positive impact on success.

“Northstar made an investment in SMSU to the tune of three million for a number of reasons,” Heemeyer said. “We saw the aging facilities. So, there’s been a lot of changes to the business department here that I think are positive and are ongoing.”

This donation provided funding for programming, facilities and scholarships for business students.

The excessive weather that occurred over the summer also plays a direct role in the urgent need of SMSU wanting building funds.

“This summer, we had four major floods in four different areas. Each one of them, I think, cost close to a million dollars,” Jayasuriya said. “We have insurance, but our deductible is 50,000, so that’s 200,000 that we haven’t planned to spend. I was praying every day to have another break somewhere this summer, but this summer has been unusual. That speaks to our aging infrastructure.”

The Chair of the Board of Trustees of Minn. state colleges and universities George Soule was in attendance of the meeting, and directly agreed with the comments.

“We need a bonding bill. Traditionally, the bonding bill is passed in the even numbered years, which would have been this year, and the legislature did not do a bonding bill,” Soule said. “We have state assets that are desperately in need of upkeep, and if they are not kept up, they’re going to deteriorate. Every year that it is deferred, it’s going to cost more to get them up, to get them up to speed. So, we definitely need a bonding bill.”

The state leaders are currently visiting nine Minnesota colleges, as SMSU was the first visit. The board will hear the first reading of the biennial budget request between Oct. 15-16, which will be approved and submitted to the Minnesota Management and Budget department in the middle of November.

The legislative session will begin Jan. 14, and approvals will be made June 17-18 next summer.