Research institute plans $8M expansion at Drake University

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A nonpartisan public policy research institute has announced plans for an $8 million expansion at Drake University to create more space for public events.

The Des Moines Register reports that the Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement will build a new two-story, 16,000-square-foot building on the campus in Des Moines.

Institute officials say the organization has outgrown its current offices, which house six full-time employees, 15 undergraduate student workers and five research fellows.

The institute says in a news release that it has already raised $6.6 million in private donations for the project. Construction is expected to start this year.

Retired state Sen. Tom Harkin established the institute in 2013 to conduct public policy research and analyze issues including labor and employment, disabilities, retirement security and nutrition.