Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

INSIDE IOWA STATE
April 19, 2002

ISU to cut $15 million
Geoffroy accepts task force budget recommendations

by University Relations staff
President Gregory Geoffroy has accepted all the budget-cutting recommendations of Iowa State's Task Force on Strategic Effectiveness and Budget Priorities, and directed the vice presidents and provost to begin implementing them. The recommendations will involve cuts of $15.4 million from the university's FY03 budget.

"More than six months ago we began preparing for cuts in the university's budget for next year, in part to accommodate the deappropriations that occurred over the course of this year. A task force of faculty, staff and students carefully reviewed budget reductions suggested by our academic and administrative units and then made recommendations to me," Geoffroy said. "I have accepted their recommendations, which call for reductions totaling $15.4 million beginning July 1."

The cuts include the elimination of 132 positions. Another 73 jobs will be transferred from state appropriations to other sources of funding. The plans also include:

Leaving vacant the position of vice president for external affairs.
Combining the positions of director of minority student affairs and associate dean of students.
Reducing several student services.
Eliminating an associate dean position in the College of Education and an assistant dean in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Eliminating the following programs in the colleges of Education and Engineering:
- Organizational learning and human resource development Ph.D. degree (master's degree program suspended indefinitely)
- Community health education B.S. degree
- Athletic training minor
- Health studies minor
- Engineering applications B.S. degree
- Engineering science B.S. degree
Merging the departments of landscape architecture and community and regional planning in the College of Design, and the departments of animal ecology and forestry in the College of Agriculture.
Reorganizing the biological sciences, which involves departments in the colleges of Agriculture and Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Increasing user fees in ISU Extension.

"We have cut courses, cut funding that would support faculty positions, delayed construction projects, reduced energy consumption and used tuition revenue that normally would finance student services and program improvements," Geoffroy said.

"More than 40 percent of the new revenue we brought in this year (fiscal year 2002) because of higher tuition and enrollment growth had to be used to offset reduced state appropriations. That's nearly $5.4 million that could have been invested in academic support for our students," he said.

Iowa State will submit its complete fiscal year 2003 budget later this spring to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.