Miles Lackey, chief of staff, shared some details with the Government of the Student Body regarding Iowa State’s approximate $1.3 billion budget and the $535 million general fund that supports “mission-related” activities.

“[President Steven] Leath wants as much of it as possible going to the mission of the university,” Lackey said. “To teaching our students and to performing innovative research that really has the potential to serve the entire world.”

Lackey also detailed the various roles that university staff reports to him, including marketing, government relations and funding, student recruitment, faculty recruitment and equal opportunity.

“That’s some of my ‘direct line’ reporting,” Lackey said. “That takes about 20 percent of my allocation of time. 80 percent end up being whatever [sic] Leath happens to put on my plate that particular day.”

Lackey said that the most important part of his job was “telling [Leath] the absolute truth, unpolished” and giving him “truly unbiased council.”

When asked about his plans for next year, Lackey mentioned the faculty hiring initiative to have 200 tenured faculty within Leath’s first three years, which is closing in quickly, and the Capital Corridor initiative to “make central Iowa the destination in bio-science related jobs, activities and innovation.”

“We have all the pieces to the puzzle here,” Lackey said. “From workforce to capital infrastructure to the innovative infrastructure. I think this is going to be a really exciting place to be, not only next year, but five, 10, 20 years down the road.”

Lackey was asked what damages came to the Iowa State as a result of the occurences during Veishea last week. Lackey said that it was difficult to quantify something of that nature, but did express optimism in the institution’s overall image thanks to its various achievements and environment.

GSB President Hillary KletscherCshared details on Ex-Officio City Council Liaison Lissandra Villa’s landlord-tenant project that she will focus on, Sen. Nick Terhall’s initiatives with university printing, new faculty for the history department and a thank you from Campustown Action Association Director Kim Hanna for ISU and GSB’s assistance in peacekeeping and student engagement during Veishea week.

“I’ve heard from not only Campustown,” Kletscher said. “But also members of Student Affairs staff about how much they enjoyed having student leaders out on the streets with them.”