Inside Iowa State

June 11, 2009

Regents approve salary policy, honorary degrees, pilot teacher license program

by Anne Krapfl

As decided at the state Board of Regents' March meeting, there will be no salary increases for faculty and P&S staff in the year that begins July 1. The board gave final approval to Iowa State's salary policy at its June 11 meeting in Ames.

Exceptions to this policy would be allowed if an individual salary adjustment "is of great importance" to the university. Those would need president Gregory Geoffroy's approval. Other general exceptions include increases tied to faculty promotions and P&S reclassifications, or increases awarded during the current fiscal year to retain key faculty or P&S staff.

Merit employees covered by the state's contract with AFSCME will not receive cost-of-living salary increases on July 1. Merit employees not at the maximum of their pay grades will receive up to a 4.5 percent "step" increase on their anniversary dates in FY10. The estimated cost of these step increases next year is $450,000. This also is the policy for supervisory and confidential staff.

Pilot teacher license program

The board approved a proposal for a three-year pilot state teacher intern license program to prepare college graduates to teach in grades 7-12. It will be jointly administered by the three regent universities, with coordination from the University of Northern Iowa, and will consist of 18 credit hours of largely online pedagogy courses, 60 hours of field experience in a school and 6 credits during an internship year in which the individuals teach full-time at full pay.

Iowa legislators asked for an alternative teacher licensure program in response to:

• Expected teacher retirements in grades 7-12 that far exceed the projected number of graduates, particularly in content areas such as chemistry, physics, general sciences and industrial technology.
• Increased interest among college graduates seeking a career change or who lost jobs in the economic downturn

Resident status for veterans

The board also approved a new regent-wide practice that classifies veterans, qualified military personnel and their spouses and dependent children as residents for purposes of undergraduate tuition and fees. This change applies to military families on active duty at the Rock Island, Ill., arsenal, as well as veterans and their families living in the state while they're enrolled at a regent university. The change will be made to chapter 1 of the Iowa Administrative Code and goes into effect July 1. The change was directed by the 2009 Iowa Legislature.

Accreditation reports

The board received seven accreditation reports for ISU academic programs. They are:

• Didactic program in dietetics (bachelor's). Program received the maximum 10-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education, American Dietetic Association.
• University teacher education (multiple levels, offered in three colleges). Program received accreditation for the maximum five years from the Iowa State Board of Education.
• Hotel, restaurant and institutional management (bachelor's). Program accredited for seven years (out of a maximum of eight) by the Accrediting Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration. Program leaders will respond to several items in the program's next annual report related to course outcomes, alumni records, career services and recent faculty hires.
• Industry technology/Ag systems technology (two bachelor's programs). Both programs received accreditation for the maximum six years by the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering.
• Community and regional planning (bachelor's and master's). Programs accredited for three years (out of a maximum of seven) by the Planning Accreditation Board, with a progress report due Sept. 1, 2011, on four items: student-faculty ratio, assignment of administrative duties among faculty, size of graduate class/need for more electives, collaboration with other ISU faculty.
• Landscape architecture program (bachelor's). Program received the maximum six-year accreditation from the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board, American Society of Landscape Architects.
• Architecture (bachelor's and master's). Programs received the maximum six-year accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board.

Honorary degrees, Wilson hall

The regents also approved Iowa State's requests to:

• Award honorary doctor of science degrees to state epidemiologist Patricia Quinlisk and chemist, business executive and alumnus Jonathan Rich at the fall 2009 and spring 2010 commencement ceremonies, respectively. Quinlisk is being honored for her leadership in public health and service to people all over the world. Rich is being honored for scientific contributions to the chemical industry (including a new way to produce silicone polymers) and for his advocacy for shared public-private investment in research. He received a B.S. in chemistry from Iowa State in 1977.
• Terminate the M.S. program in veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine (VDPAM). The change is intended to conserve resources and eliminate confusion caused by the program's similarity to another (M.S. in veterinary preventive medicine) within the VDPAM department. No students have been enrolled in the program since the 2007-08 academic year.
• Open Wilson residence hall this fall at the annual rate of $4,500, the same rate the board approved in April for the adjacent Wallace Hall. Initially, the proposed rate for the sister buildings south of Campustown was $4,966. ISU admissions officials anticipate enrolling as many as 150 additional first-year undergraduates this fall over last year, many of them international. The intent of the competitive rate at Wallace and Wilson is to draw upperclass students out of the Richardson Court and Union Drive residence halls. Freshmen living in residence halls that are closer to the center of campus (like Richardson Court and Union Drive) historically have higher retention rates and GPAs than those who live farther away.

The state Board of Regents also gave ISU officials permission to proceed with steps necessary to implement its proposed FY10 budget. The budget will receive final board approval Aug. 5. Story.