Inside Iowa State

June 10, 2005

Salaries, benefits take largest portion of new dollars

by Anne Krapfl

New and reallocated funds in Iowa State's FY06 operating budget will total just over $27 million. The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, is expected to approve regent university budgets for the year that begins July 1 when it meets Monday and Tuesday in Council Bluffs.

Salary and benefit increases are the single largest piece -- $12.2 million -- of the additional money. The faculty salaries portion of that is $6.5 million, the P&S portion is $3.2 million, and the merit staff portion is $2.5 million. (See related story on salary policy.)

The second largest initiative to receive funding is building renovation and operation. Of $3.5 million designated, $2.5 million is a one-time state appropriation that must be used for major building repair, according to the legislation.

These two big-dollar items are among 14 initiatives university leaders identified for funding next year. The 14 address top priorities in Iowa State's 2005-10 strategic plan and the Regent Partnership Plan for Transformation and Excellence. Those priorities, which guided the budget process, are:

• Achieve competitive salaries for faculty and staff
• Increase student success and enhance the quality of undergraduate educational programs
• Increase the excellence of graduate, professional and research programs that are, or can can, among the very best
• Strengthen Iowa through technology transfer, economic development and enhanced Extension and outreach programs
• Increase administrative efficiency and improve administrative systems, information infrastructure and facilities needed to support the above priorities

FY06 new and reallocated dollars

Where it came from
New revenues	$17,939,458
State appropriation   $9,687,693*
Tuition   $7,649,175
Other income**   $602,590
Reallocations	$9,153,451
Total	$27,092,909
* $6.07 million increase to the university's base budget; $3.62 million in one-time funds **Indirect cost recovery, interest income, misc. fees
How it will be spent (14 initiatives):
Achieve competitive salaries for faculty and staff
Competitive salaries and benefits	$12,209,920
Increase student success and enhance the quality of undergraduate educational programs
Undergraduate student financial aid	$713,501
New faculty positions in support of undergraduate education	$1,057,333
Adviser positions, programming to enhance undergraduate student success	$624,254
Increase the excellence of those graduate, professional, and research programs that are or can be among the very best
Financial aid/ scholarships to recruit the best graduate and professional students	$995,183
Funding to enrich veterinary medicine program	$1,462,090
Strengthen ISU's premier programs*	$1,547,881
Strengthen research in high-impact interdisciplinary areas**	$2,219,639
Strengthen Iowa through technology transfer, economic development, and enhanced Extension and outreach programs
Research staff, equipment, operating funds to improve Iowa air and water quality	$258,090
Partnership in Prevention Science Institute (to support Iowa youth)	$185,255
Economic development initiatives to benefit the state	$182,000
Increase administrative efficiency and improve systems, information infrastructure, and facilities needed to support the above initiatives
Information technology support and infrastructure	$1,358,743
Renovate, maintain academic facilities	$3,540,807
New positions to increase administrative efficiency	$738,213
Total	$27,092,909
*New funds to these areas: statistics, physics, psychology, bioengineering, educational research and statistics, and human development and family studies **New funds to these areas: human computer interaction, nanotechnology, combinatorial discovery, biological sciences, Engineering for Extreme Environments, integrated animal genomics, corn and soybean research

Regents to OK budgets

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, is expected to approve university budgets for next fiscal year when it meets Monday and Tuesday in Council Bluffs.