University of Northern Iowa President Dr. Robert Koob says voters could do their part to help Iowa’s regents’ institutions recover from painful budget cuts they’ve suffered. He says the regents institutions took cuts bigger than areas of the state budget did, and wants to voters to remind candidates they talk with that they should make sure the universities are treated fairly. During a visit with reporters in Manchester, Koob says he’s sure things will improve as the economic recovery gets underway in Iowa. He thinks last year’s rapid decline is “bottoming out” and won’t cause the big budget damage it did in the middle of last year, but slow recovery will mean the university isn’t up to full operation any time soon. Koob said it’s important state leaders understand the hardship the three state universities are suffering, and the need to restore full funding as soon as possible.