Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

April 2, 2004

Geoffroy on college proposal
Administrative cost savings is the goal

In early February, President Gregory Geoffroy started a planning process that could result in combining the colleges of Education and Family and Consumer Sciences. In a Q&A on the president's Web site ( http://www.iastate.edu/~president/04/qa.shtml), Geoffroy answers a number of questions about the process and the proposed college combination. Following is a sample of some of those questions.

Is the decision to combine the colleges a done deal or can it be reversed?
The university has a well-specified Policy on Academic Reorganization that requires a number of steps before the plan reaches my desk for a final decision. We will follow that policy in spirit and in letter. The policy calls for development of a detailed plan and includes advisory votes by the faculty and the Faculty Senate, all of which must occur before I decide whether or not to recommend the plan to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

Are you willing to consider the opinions of faculty, students, staff, and alumni as you make decisions on this issue?
Of course, as I try to do in all critical decision-making.

If the faculties of Education and FCS vote strongly against combining, will you still recommend it to the Board of Regents?
As the university's Policy on Academic Reorganization notes, the votes of the faculty are advisory to the Faculty Senate, provost and me. Provost Allen and I will take the votes by the faculty and the Faculty Senate very seriously. I can't say what my final decision will be until we have completed the process.

Are you willing to consider variations on the proposed combination?
We are seeking ways to reduce administrative costs, and we certainly will give serious consideration to alternative proposals presented to the planning committee that address administrative cost-cutting.

What kind of variations would you be willing to consider?
As one example, several people have suggested maintaining separate colleges with only one dean and dean's office. That is an interesting suggestion. We have several instances in which two academic departments are administered by one department chair and departmental office. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has taken a step in that direction by creating three divisions within the college, all of which are under one dean and one dean's office.

Are you willing to look at other administrative reorganizations among the eight colleges, or is this your sole focus?
Absolutely. Good suggestions that will reduce administrative costs and redirect the cost savings into academic programs, and that are reasonable from an academic perspective, are welcome.

What are the primary reasons for proposing this particular combination?
First, these are two of the smallest colleges at Iowa State in terms of student enrollment. FCS is the smallest and Education is tied for second smallest with Design. Small colleges have a disadvantage in budget flexibility and the workload of faculty and staff because functions have to be shared across fewer people. In terms of student enrollment, this combined college would rank fourth in size among the remaining seven colleges.

Second, there are important synergies between many of the academic disciplines within the two colleges. About two thirds of the undergraduate students in the college of education are in majors that were formerly housed in the College of Home Economics, the precursor college to FCS.

Third, there are real administrative cost savings that would accrue from this combination and could be redirected back into academic programs and new faculty positions and academic programs to strengthen the combined college. Like all colleges at Iowa State, these two have suffered significant budget cuts over four years, resulting in lost faculty and staff positions and decreased operating budgets. Redirecting administrative cost savings into academic programs could partially restore some of those cuts.

Why did you not consult more broadly with constituents of the two colleges before proposing this combination?
I felt that the best way to proceed with this discussion was to make it public and put it on the table for broad discussion and input from all faculty, staff, students, alumni and other constituents. That is exactly what should occur as the plan is developed by the planning committee and makes its way through various steps under the university's academic reorganization policy.

(The complete Q&A is at http://www.iastate.edu/~president/04/qa.shtml.)

Geoffroy on college proposal Administrative cost savings is the goal

Geoffroy on college proposal
Administrative cost savings is the goal