When ISU President Gregory Geoffroy sat down with a few Daily staff members Monday afternoon, the conversation covered everything from tuition hikes and Campustown development to what he thinks the “new” Big 12 Conference should be named. Take a look at some of the conversation here, and find the rest online at iowastatedaily.net.

Q: Iowa State is no longer using any American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. So any changes to college budgets would come because of whatever the state legislature would decide to do?

A: Budget cuts were all cuts in state funding last year. And all colleges and units in the university submitted plans for how they were going to deal with those budget cuts. Those plans have all been approved and they’re all proceeding to address those. We’re hoping there won’t be any more budget cuts that come from our state funding, and we’ll certainly do everything we can to try to make sure that doesn’t occur. So it’s not new budget cuts, but it’s simply executing the plans that were put in place by the units last spring in reaction to the cuts that the legislature made for this year.

Q: With the Revenue Estimating Conference in October, what do you think is going to come out of that, and do you think there’s going to be another budget cut this year?

A: It’s difficult to predict what that’s going to show. If you read the tea leaves, you know, the current economic data, what it’s showing is that the revenues flowing into the state treasury right now are higher than has been projected for the year. So that’s a positive sign. Iowa’s economy, of course, is very dependent on the national economy, and the national economy is sluggish, and it is not recovering very fast. And so, it’s difficult to predict that. I think there’s every reason to be optimistic and hopeful that there won’t be any more budget cuts this year. That at least is what we’re certainly hoping for, and that’s the optimistic view, is that the October revenue conference will not force another round of mid-year budget cuts. Remember, this is an election year, so it’s not likely that anything would happen before the election in any case. But I think there’s reason to be optimistic. But if you have any inside information, let me know.

Q: Do you think that state funding will ever come back?

A: I think it’s not at all likely that … as the percentage of our budget that state funding has been in the past, that we’ll ever achieve that value again. If you just look at what’s happening across our country, the demands on the state budget from other needs is increasing everywhere. Things like health care, security, prisons, police, are taking up higher portions of state budgets than is being allocated to support education and there’s no sign anywhere that that’s going to change. So, I think we simply have to do everything we can to find alternate sources of funding and realize that the level of state funding we’ve had in the past just isn’t going to be there. We’re gonna work to do everything we can to keep it strong, but realistically, I think it’s very unlikely that we’ll see a recovery of all the funds that have been lost.

Q: Do sponsored funds just pay for faculty research?

A: A lot of sponsored funding is for research, but not all. Remember that research funding is spent on employing graduate students, supporting undergraduates who are involved in supporting the research, buying equipment and supplies and some part of faculty members’ salaries, so, in many ways, it is supportive of the overall educational enterprise, as an institution. Some of that sponsored funding is money that comes in via various foundations and other sources to help with facilities renewals, and that goes into capital projects and then there are activities that really aren’t research, but are more educational or outreach activities that sponsored funding supports; it really depends on the agency and the sponsor and what they want to do and whether, of course, if fits with our mission.

Q: Do you think that we’ll see tuition increases — and if there are tuition increases, does that change that kind of land-grant mentality of Iowa State?

A: I think it’s inevitable that tuition will increase. It’s not whether it will increase, it’s how much it will increase, and that of course is controlled by the Regents. And it really can’t be predicted. The Regents make those decisions. The issue that you raise is one that we are very concerned about, it’s the whole issue of access to an affordable, high-quality public education. And I think what’s happening in our nation, as state support is declining, which invariably means rising tuition at higher levels, ultimately makes it more challenging for students who don’t have a lot of resources to attend great institutions like Iowa State. That’s why it’s important for us to do everything we can to raise funds for private scholarships, through private fundraising. We help students with part-time jobs, where they can be found on campus and elsewhere. But I think the point you raise is right on target. I think the movement away from public universities all across our country is impacting access to high-quality education by those who don’t really have the resources to spend on it.

Q: As of right now, do we have any predictions of where tuition might go next year?

A: No. I believe at the October [Regents] Board meeting we’ll have a tuition workshop. There’s a consultant that they’ve hired who I think will present some national data, trends and analyses. But I think it’s not likely that any discussion of tuition for next year will occur until after the election. So that will probably end up being at the February Board meeting, I think.

Q: Do you see a day when there’s a John Deere Hall on campus?

A: That’d be a nice building to have. We do need to build a new building for our Ag and Biosystems Engineering Department, which is really one of the best in the country. We have been raising funds for that — it’s our top capital request for state funding, is money to replace Davidson Hall, rebuild over on the west side of campus. Now, if some good company wanted to come along and help us — in fact, the people of John Deere have been very supportive of that project and have been active in helping us work with the legislatures and they’ve provided some support — not enough to name the building, but some private support.

Q: You said recruitment was one of your goals for the year. Obviously, there are lots of good reasons to come to Iowa State — but a few things have changed in terms of programs in the last couple years. If you were to recruit a student, what are some of the top reasons you’d give as to why they should choose Iowa State?

A: Well, I do recruit students. I talk to high school audiences as well as individual students from time to time. But ultimately, it’s a great educational experience that students receive here. And it’s a combination of what occurs in the classes, the formal education, courses and curriculum — but it’s also a great out-of-class educational environment here on campus. All of the activities, clubs and organizations students have the opportunity to belong to, the level of involvement of students in the life of the campus. All of you are illustrating that. It is really second to none. It’s through those extra-curricular activities where students gain leadership skills, communication skills, teamwork skills, they hone their social skills. Those are incredibly important for success in life. And when you look at the number of recruiters who come to Iowa State to recruit our graduates, it’s a reflection of the overall quality of that educational experience. Plus, it’s a great place, I think, to live and spend college years, here in Ames, at Iowa State.

Q: Do you see a trend of more students migrating to community colleges to fulfill their undergraduate core requirements?

A: Well, it hasn’t happened so far. My advice that I would give any high school graduate is, if there’s any way you can do it, spend four years at a public university, because that’s where you get the opportunity to really benefit the most from … the richness of the extracurricular environment. The things you get involved in as freshmen and sophomores on the campus carry through your entire time at the university and that enriches the overall educational experience. That doesn’t mean you can’t get a great education by starting at community colleges, we do have good community colleges in Iowa — very good ones. But my personal belief is that the best educational experience is through spending four years —maybe a little more — at a school like Iowa State.

Q: Do you think [spending a little more than four years here] is unique to Iowa State and do you think that plays into the student debt factor at all?

A: Well, I mean, it does play into student debt. Obviously, the more semesters you have to register, pay tuition and room and board, it’s going to increase the overall cost. There are, I think, valid reasons for taking more than four years, and there are reasons that probably aren’t so good. To graduate in four years, you really need to, unless you come in with lots of advanced placement courses, you have to take, on average, 31 to 32 credits a year to complete. And not all students do that. Sometimes the reason’s valid, sometimes it may not be … A lot of students will take study abroad opportunities. Those are wonderful opportunities. Nobody should be discouraged from studying abroad, but that can slow people down a little bit.

Q: What was the experience like with the Big 12 Conference this summer?

A: It was stressful. I had to cancel a long looked-to vacation and spend it here, instead of away, and it was good that I was. But it was a very, very hectic weekend as we worked through all that, with a lot of phone calls to university presidents, conference officials, athletic directors. But in the end, the Big 12 Conference survived, and I think it’s actually, it’s going to be a strong conference. And I personally think it’s very stable. And I think it’s going to be 10 members. There’s no interest in expanding to 12.

Q: Do you think they’ll change the name?

A: That’s likely. I like the “Best 10.” But I think the conference is planning on working with a marketing firm. Another term I heard was the “Real 10.” But with a marketing firm to determine whether or not we really ought to change the name, and if so, what would be a good name. I don’t know where that will go; that’s the conference commissioner’s job to get that done. But eventually it’ll come to the presidents for approval.

The year ahead:

University convocation will be held Monday, Sept. 20. Geoffroy will give his “state of the university address” and present awards to faculty and staff.

President Geoffroy’s goals for the year:

Items that are ongoing year after year:

– Student recruitment and maintaining enrollment

– Working to keep state funding as strong as possible

– Private fundraising

– Doing everything possible to increase the level of sponsored funding for the university

This year there are several special items:

– Adjust to the budget changes that were made last year as a result of a drop in state funding

– Recover from the August flooding, working with FEMA and insurance companies

A unique opportunity we need to take advantage of:

– Improvement of Campustown

– Ames has contracted with Lane4 developers and they are working “very aggressively”

– “We as a university must throw all of our energies into helping make that possible.”

Two important leadership vacancies to fill:

– The veterinary medicine dean is stepping down, going back to faculty

– The Extension vice president stepped down last year