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Regents leader sends signal about tuition rates at Iowa’s public universities

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UNI President Mark Nook.

The president of the board that oversees the three state universities is promising tuition for Iowa residents will go up no more than four percent in the next academic year.

Board of Regents president Michael Richards acknowledged that’s less than what the presidents of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa recommended.

“Our job is to come up with what the families in the state of Iowa can live with,” Richards told reporters today.

Richards testified at the state capitol today as well, asking legislators for more state support of the three public universities.

“The exceptional quality at our institutions has taken generations to build,” Richards said, “and it is imperative that we work together to continue the progress made by those that came before us.”

The presidents of the three universities asked legislators to at least stabilize state support of the schools. Iowa State University president Wendy Wintersteen said tuition rates have been the same for seven out of the last 12 semesters, while state support of ISU “is trending down significantly.”

“We’ve stretched the university too thin. Our faculty and staff are maxed out,” she said. “With strong enrollment and declining state support, we are tipping the balance between efficiency, education quality and accessibility.”

University of Iowa president Bruce Harreld told lawmakers his school is “under-resourced.”

“What is quite clear is that if we do not establish a plan for stable resources which are necessary to improve our quality, Iowans will be forced to pay non-resident tuition at Michigan or Wisconsin or Minnesota in order to obtain the quality they demand and deserve,” Harreld said.

University of Northern Iowa president Mark Nook said each university has “very different missions.”

“The State of Iowa really got the university systems right. There are only three institutions. We have not overbuilt our infrastructure,” Nook told legislators. “It allows us to adequately fund our universities, if we choose to do that.”

The three universities are asking legislators for $12 million in new state money next year exclusively for student financial aid. House Appropriations Committee chairman Pat Grassley told the presidents legislators want more information about efficiencies at the universities before making a decision about state funding.

The Board of Regents is scheduled to meet tomorrow. Richards indicated a final decision on tuition for the fall semester and spring semester 2019 would be made in June.

 

House panel votes to spare UNI from mid-year budget cuts

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A plan from House Republicans that would make nearly $33 million worth of cuts in the current state budget calls for spending reductions of more than $8 million at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, but there would be no cuts for the University of Northern Iowa.

The House Appropriations Committee approved the plan today that would spare UNI from mid-year budget cuts.

“We feel that UNI’s in a little bit different situation than the other two would be and so that’s why we landed in the position we did,” said Representative Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford who is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Senator Jeff Danielson, a Democrat from Cedar Falls, represents the UNI campus.

“We are almost wholly reliant on the state contribution because we don’t have the research dollars or the out-of-state students that the other two institutions have,” Danielson said.

Out-of-state students pay significantly higher tuition, but 92 percent of UNI’s students are Iowa residents, so they pay significantly lower tuition. In January, Governor Kim Reynolds presented legislators with an outline of her recommended cuts to the current year’s state budget. And Reynolds also called for sparing UNI from spending reductions.

It’s unclear when legislators will approve the overall plan to ensure the current year’s state budget doesn’t sink into red ink. Representative Chris Hall, a Democrat from Sioux City, said the need to reduce the current year’s state budget should raise “many red flags” since the state’s economy is booming.

“I don’t see any signals that a long-range vision for state budget management is coming to bear,” Hall said. “I don’t get a whole lot of confidence out of the ways these decisions are being made and don’t have any confidence in how I’ve seen them unfold over the last year.”

Representative Grassley told Hall Republicans are “trying to err on the side of caution” — then — during an early morning meeting — Grassley responded with humor.

“I scheduled this on Valentine’s Day because I thought you were going to give me more love than that, Representative Hall,” Grassley said.

House leaders have not indicated when they plan to schedule debate on the House floor about resolving issues in the current year’s state budget.

House Republicans have $33.7 million plan for cuts in current year’s state budget

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Pat Grassley

Republicans in the Iowa House have unveiled their preferred cuts in the current year’s state budget.

It’s a plan that pares slightly more than Republican Governor Kim Reynolds recommended in early January, but far less than Republicans in the Senate proposed two weeks ago.

Representative Pat Grassley of New Hartford says he and his fellow House Republicans “feel pretty strongly” their approach fulfills the legislature’s obligation to keep the budget in the black — and leave a little in reserve as a cushion.

“Came up with a number that met the $33.7 million worth of adjustments that we need, in a little bit different manner than the everyone else in the building,” Grassley says, “but they feel very strongly we were able to do it in a responsible manner and still protect some of our priorities.”

The most significant difference between the two plans would be the impact on Iowa’s 15 area community colleges. Senate Republicans proposed $5.4 million in cuts to the current state fiscal year.

“Whenever we had a conversation about the FY18 adjustments, that was the number one issue that came up,” Grassley says.

Under the House GOP proposal, community colleges would have to figure out how to cut just $500,000 from this year’s budget. The House GOP plan calls for $8.1 million in cuts to the three state universities. That is nearly 60 percent less than Senate Republicans proposed in cuts for the University of Iowa, Iowa State and the University of Northern Iowa.

Democrats are criticizing all the budget-cutting plans Republicans have devised. Representative Chris Hall, a Democrat from Sioux City, says it shows a “lack of fiscal discipline” from the Republicans who crafted the original state budget plan.

“Any time that the state has to enact budget cuts mid-year at a point in time when the economy’s growing, there seems to be some mismanagement of how the state budget is going forward,” Hall says.

There are 142 days left in the current state budgeting year.

Senate Republican budget cuts go deeper than governor’s proposal

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Republicans in the Iowa Senate have unveiled $52 million in proposed state budget cuts for the final five months of the state budgeting year.

The cuts for the state universities. community colleges and courts are deeper than Republican Governor Kim Reynolds recommended earlier this month.

Republicans in the Iowa House have not yet revealed their plan.

Senator Charles Schneider, a Republican from West Des Moines, said with state tax collections lagging below expectations, the cuts are necessary to avoid a deficit.

“According to Iowa law, we have to balance our budget and this requires us to make some adjustments to our budget…for the current fiscal year,” Schneider said during a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting Thursday afternoon. “Our goal has been to do so in a way that’s fiscally responsible and that reflects the values that we, as Iowans, all hold most dear.”

The Senate GOP plan does not cut state payments to K-12 public schools, but it would force the three state universities to make what the executive director of the Regents system calls “severe” and disruptive cuts during the current semester.

Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat, represents Iowa City, which is home to the University of Iowa.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that with $19.2 million of proposed cuts to the public universities (and) another $5.4 million in cuts to our fine community colleges that tuition for every college kid and family is going to go up next year,” Bolkcom said.

The Senate GOP plan also calls for $3.4 million in cuts to the budgets at state prisons and $4.8 million cut to the state’s court system. A spokesman for the state judicial branch says a cut of that magnitude will lead to the closure of 30 county courthouses and the closures will be “indefinite.” Criminal and civil cases in those counties would be shifted to other courts.

Republican Senator suggests commission needed to reform Regents universities

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Jack Whitver

A top Republican in the legislature suggests it’s time to appoint a new panel to spark changes at the state-supported universities.

“I think we need to get more creative,” Jack Whitver of Ankeny, the president of the Iowa Senate, said during a town hall forum on WHO TV. “If you look at states like Ohio, they put together commissions to really study higher education and how they can be more effective.”

The presidents of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa recently recommended seven percent hikes in tuition next fall. The nine-member Board of Regents has not yet voted to set tuition levels for next year, but Whitver said a commission could suggest changes that prevent “drastic increases to tuition” and save students money.

“Maybe it’s set up a three-year degree program, so that kids aren’t paying for that additional year,” Whitver said. “I think we have to be more reform-minded and look at new ideas instead of just the same old model.”

Whitver got his law degree from Drake, but he played football for Iowa State and graduated from ISU with a degree in exercise science and a masters from ISU in business.

Members of the Board of Regents have an ongoing “tier” initiative seeking efficiencies in the universities’ operating budgets. In the 1990s, the so-called “Fisher Commission” appointed by then-Governor Terry Branstad recommended budget cutting in all levels of state government, including the state universities. In the late 1980s, Board of Regents president Marvin Pomerantz led an effort to reduce duplication in academic programs among the three state-supported universities.

UI, ISU, UNI presidents seek increase in financial aid for Iowa-resident students

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School photo of the UNI’s freshmen.

The presidents of the three state-supported universities are asking the governor and legislators to provide an additional $12 million to the schools next year, money that would be used to boost the amount of financial aid for students who are Iowa residents.

To make his case, University of Northern Iowa president Mark Nook is citing a comparison of tuition-and-financial aid packages for students at UNI with similiar institutions in surrounding states.

“What we find is that we’re much below the average on the available aid, so well above on the cost and well below on the aid that’s available,” Nook says. “…We have slipped in the wrong direction. We’ve moved to a low aid/high cost model, which in the long run is simply not sustainable for the university or for the state.”

Wendy Wintersteen took over as president of Iowa State University two weeks ago. Wintersteen says if ISU gets more state money to increase financing aid, she hopes to use it for completion grants program.

“Just to give you an example: we end up with students that might be a junior or a senior. They’ve maxed out the loans they can take. They aren’t eligible for additional student financial aid of any form,” Wintersteen says, “and so we are able to step in and look where they’re at. How far away are they from gradiation? Would a completion grant of $1,000, $1,500 make the difference so they don’t end up having to step out of school for six months or a year to work to get the money so they can graduate?”

University of Iowa president Bruce Harreld says student financial aid at his institution is “based on need and merit.”

“With over 45 percent of our undergraduate students graduating with zero debt and over $1,000 reduction in average debt since 2014, the University of Iowa is working hard to balance increased tuition with effectively directed financial aid,” Harreld says.

The three university presidents made their comments during a budget presentation in the governor’s office yesterday.

Proposals: new lab at ISU, upgraded Industrial Tech Center at UNI

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UNI’s industrial tech building.

The state Board of Regents is asking lawmakers to set aside millions for a new laboratory at Iowa State University as well as big upgrades to the Industrial Technology Center at the University of Northern Iowa.

ISU president Wendy Wintersteen said the five-year plan for a new Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Ames has a $100 million price tag.

“This is a critical need for Iowa agriculture in the state and one we hope that we can begin progress on this year in this legislative session,” Wintersteen said today.

An inspection team from a national association recently re-certified the lab, but the group warns “the aging facility” may not be able to “adequately respond to a large-scale foreign animal disease outbreak” in the future.

“This really is essential for our livestock and poultry industry in the state,” Winterstein said. “…You all remember the avian influenza outbreak where we ended up having 30 million chickens and turkeys put down because of that disease and the Vet Diagnostic Lab worked 24/7 to meet the needs of the industry at that time.”

The three-year plan to renovate and expand the Industrial Technology Center in Cedar Falls carries a $36 million price tag. UNI president Mark Nook said the current space is too small, with $9.4 million dollars worth of postponed maintenance work.

“The center was built in 1974 and, at that time, it was largely constructed to be a facility to train shop teachers for the high schools in the state of Iowa,” Nook said today. “We have moved from that greatly.”

UNI is now offering degrees in “Career and Technical Education” and the center is jammed with technology courses. The plan calls for having an industrial foundry in the renovated center, along with “technology-heavy” laboratories for students.

The presidents of UNI, Iowa State and the University of Iowa were in Governor Reynolds’ office today to outline their budget priorities. All three are asking for a state funding boost, to provide more financial aid to students who are Iowa residents.

“The exceptional quality at our institutions has taken generations to build,” Board of Regents president Michael Richards told the governor to start the presentations, “and it is imperative that we all work together to continue the progress made by those that came before us.”

University of Iowa president Bruce Harreld said spending more on the universities is an investment in “well-educated” citizens who spur economic growth.

“Our strategic plan specifically calls for increasing our four-year graduation rate to 60 percent, which is a nine percentage point increase above our current four-year level,” Harreld said. “This increase would add over 300 more graduates each year into the Iowa workforce.”

Harreld is promising to find about $11 million worth of campus cost-cutting measures, money he’d divert to programs aimed at improving student achievement.

Survey finds UI, ISU, UNI faculty work 50-60 hour weeks

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A new report indicates faculty at Iowa’s three public universities work, on average, about 55 hours per week.

Officials from the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa presented the results of a “faculty activities” survey to the board that governs the universities. Rachel Boon, the chief academic officer for the Board of Regents, said this is the third time in six years the survey has been conducted.

“Faculty are randomly selected on which week they get it and they’re reporting on their activities throughout that week, so that we can get a sample across the entire sort of ebb and flow of a semester,” Boon said, “so it doesn’t bias towards being in midterms or being around finals week or the start of a term when things are different.”

Iowa State University provost Jonathan Wickert said the survey shows ISU faculty are teaching more “credit hours” and bringing in far more research dollars than they did a decade ago.

“Our faculty are arguably more productive in research and education than before,” Wickert said.

University of Iowa associate provost Kevin Kregel said the survey shows how much the faculty in Iowa City work with students in research labs and at the university’s hospital.

“There’s experiential learning in many different avenues,” Kregel said, “…hands-on, collaborative kinds of work.”

John Valentine, UNI’s associate provost for faculty, said the survey shows faculty on the Cedar Falls campus are focused on preparing students for life beyond college.

“Our professors spend more than 30 hours per week on student instruction,” Valentine said. “They are in the classroom teaching.”

The rest of their time is mostly spent grading students’ work, overseeing research and mentoring students outside the classroom.

The three state universities employ about 4500 full-time faculty.

New Board of Regents executive gets ‘recruitment incentive’ plus base salary

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The board that governs the state’s three public universities has hired from within and devised a way to hike pay for the next executive director of the Board of Regents.

By state law, the executive director’s salary is capped at $154,300, but Mark Braun has been making $240,000 a year as the board’s chief operating officer. As the new executive director of the Board of Regents, Braun will get that annual base salary of $154,000, plus a $185,000 “recruitment incentive” will paid out in installments over the next 18 months.

Board of Regents president Michael Richards said other budget cuts have been made and a new chief operating officer will not be hired to replace Braun.

“We have a proposal that would bring approximately $300,000 of savings to the Board of Regents office,” Richards said during the board’s public meeting Thursday.

Braun’s new job — and pay plan — starts November 1. The Board of Regents will ask legislators to change the law so Braun’s base salary can be raised in the future.

Braun is a graduate of the University of Iowa. He was the university’s lobbyist at the state legislature for a decade and also served on former University of Iowa president Sally Mason’s staff. He has been the chief operating officer for the Board of Regents since December of 2015.

Campus safety and security summit November 1 in Ames

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Campus leaders and members of the board that governs Iowa, Iowa State and UNI are reviewing the effectiveness of campus safety measures.

Jacob Simpson of Clinton is the president of University of Iowa Student Government. He says sexual assault is a “pervasive problem” on college campuses throughout the country.

“According to our campus climate survey on sexual assault, 21 percent of the undergraduate female-identified students who completed the survey reported being raped and then 11.4 percent of first-year undergraduate female-identified students who completed the survey reported being raped in their first semester on campus,” Simpson says. “These numbers are astonishing.”

Simpson spoke to a Board of Regents panel yesterday. Paula Knudson is the University of Northern Iowa’s vice president for student affairs. In the late 1980s, she was a resident assistant on a University of Iowa dorm floor when data showed about one in four or five women on campus said they had been sexually assaulted.

“If this was a health issue — and it is a health issue — it would be considered an epidemic,” she said. “And it hasn’t changed in that 25-year experience.”

Iowa State University’s student body president stressed the need for more lights and cameras on campus to enhance security and aid investigators when incidents occur.

A summit will be held on November 1 at Iowa State University to discuss safety and security issues on college campuses throughout the state.