April 29, 2010

Regents approve faculty promotions, further study of efficiency proposals

by Anne Krapfl

The state Board of Regents approved promotions for 61 Iowa State faculty members for the 2010-11 academic year at its meeting April 29 in Iowa City. The list includes 33 promotions with tenure, 26 promotions (faculty already were tenured), and two tenure awards without promotion. The faculty salary increases for promotion to associate professor and professor remain this year at $3,400 and $4,000, respectively. The full list of promotion and tenure awards for 2010-11 is online at the provost's website.

More regents coverage

The regents annual report on faculty tenure noted that at least 70 percent of tenure-eligible faculty members are tenured in 42 of 63 ISU departments and in five of the seven colleges -- Agriculture and Life Sciences, Design, Engineering, Human Sciences and Liberal Arts and Sciences -- as well as the library.

Inter-institutional efficiencies

The board approved a proposal to further study 12 projects that could achieve greater efficiency and/or cost savings for the participating regent schools. The projects include three each in the broad areas of information technology, purchasing, human resources and facilities. They emerged from collaborative reviews conducted since the board's March 24 meeting, at which Miles directed the review in light of the state government reorganization plan approved last month -- and from which the regents umbrella is exempted.

Teams will take from three to 12 months to assess the cost, savings and other potential outcomes of each of the 12 projects. Some are more straightforward, such as a regent-wide software licensing pool to lower purchase costs, or investigating another 10 common products or services for joint purchasing contracts (many already exist). Others would take more time and could require changes to Iowa Code, such as replacing the schools' sick-vacation leave system with a Paid Time Off program, or converting from printed sets of construction bid documents to an electronic system.

Parking permits

The board approved parking permit rates for FY11. Permit renewal began April 26. The increases range from 2.4 to 4.3 percent, and the new rates are:

  • General staff, including Ames Laboratory and Residence permits, $128 (was $125)
  • Reserved, $457 (was $446)
  • 24-hour reserved, $821 (was $801)
  • Departmental, $128 (was $125)
  • Vendor, $166 (was $162)
  • Staff motorcycle, $43 (was $42)
  • MU ramp, annual, $462 (was $450)
  • MU ramp, semester, $195 (was $187)
  • MU ramp, summer, $156 (was $150)

Mandatory student fees

As approved in February as part of the 2010-11 tuition decision, Iowa State students will pay $894.70 in mandatory fees next academic year, unchanged from the current year. The board approved the recommendation of an ISU student fee committee to allocate the dollars as follows (building fees are set according to bond repayment requirements):

Fee Amount
Technology $230     
Health $196     
Student activity
Student government $67.50  
Legislative relations $0.20    
Student services
CyRide $125.20
Athletics dept. $45       
Recreation $133.30
Building fees
Health facility $16       
Memorial Union $49.10  
Hilton Coliseum $18       
Ice arena $8.40    
Multicultural center $6         
Total $894.70

In other business, the board:

  • Approved Iowa State's request to implement the new P&S compensation structure on July 1. The 12 pay-grade plan with expanded salary ranges replaces the current 10 pay-grade plan, which has been used since the 1980s. The top two pay grades don't have a salary maximum. It will cost about $66,000 to move approximately 50 employees' pay to their salary minimums in the new structure. Central funds will cover this.
  • Approved Iowa State's request to terminate the M.S. program in Business due to lack of interest. The lone student in the program will graduate in May.
  • Approved a new B.S. program in event management in the College of Human Sciences and three new master's programs in the College of Engineering. The master's programs are coursework-only versions of the college's M.S. program in that specialty, absent the thesis requirement. They are:
    • Master of Engineering in civil engineering
    • Master of Engineering in materials science and engineering
    • Master of Engineering in information assurance
  • Approved room and board rates for the year that begins May 9. Residence hall room and Frederiksen Court apartment rates will go up 3.5 percent. Apartments in Schilletter and University Village will go up 2.7 percent. The 12 ISU Dining meal packages offered next year will increase 1.67 percent to 2 percent. The room-board combination the residence department uses now for year-to-year comparisons is a double room in the Richardson Court complex and 17 meals/week plus $350 Dining Dollars. The cost of this package will go up $193 (2.7 percent).
  • Approved the sale of $24 million in bonds to partially fund the recreation services renovation and expansion plan at State Gym. The first of two planned bond sales was in April 2009 ($27 million). The bonds have a 25-year repayment period.
  • Approved Iowa State's request to present an honorary Doctor of Science degree to former Ford Motor Co. and John Deere engineer Harold Brock at commencement this spring. Brock is being honored for his leadership in designing tractors that helped spur the transformation of agriculture and food production, and for contributions to education since his 1972 retirement from industry.
  • Approved Iowa State's request to begin project planning and select InVision Architecture, Waterloo, for replacement of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC) in the laboratory animal resources facility. InVision is the architect for the adjacent Vet Med small animal hospital renovation and expansion. A federal ARRA grant of nearly $4.4 million will cover the HVAC project cost.