Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

July 5, 2002

Enhancement funding focuses on faculty, students

by Anne Krapfl
Eight projects -- from e-Library to a learning community -- will receive a total of just over $1.1 million dollars this year in a university-wide enhancement plan announced last week by President Gregory Geoffroy. Funding will focus on creating new faculty positions and helping undergraduate students succeed at Iowa State.

The eight come from a list of 18 projects requesting about $5.6 million in funding that had been recommended in March by the president's Task Force on Strategic Effectiveness and Budget Priorities. Funds for the eight come from new tuition revenue.

"The circumstances of our budget prevented me from funding as many of the enhancement proposals as I would have preferred," Geoffroy said in a June 27 memo to task force members. "I trust that those receiving funding will have a significant, positive impact on Iowa State students."

Half of the 18.5 percent tuition increase approved last fall for the 2002-03 school year was intended to fund improvements to the quality of education at ISU. As part of its assignment last winter, the task force reviewed and recommended projects to receive some of this funding. However, severe state cuts to the university's operating budget this winter and spring forced ISU leaders to use $14.9 million of new tuition revenue to offset the reduction, leaving a lot less for enhancement proposals.

Geoffroy's selections for enhancement funding generally follow the priority order established by the task force, although several buildings and grounds proposals ranked high by the task force could not be funded this year because of budget limitations. Tight budgets also meant that some of the awards are less than the amounts requested, and some awards are the first step in proposed phased projects (up to four years long). Recipients in both cases are being asked to indicate how this year's funding will be spent and to revise their phased plans.

"Our hope is to continue to fund the multi-year commitments, but we're not in a position that we can promise that," Geoffroy said.

Selected projects