COUNCIL BLUFFS – The Board of Regents approved residence system rates, nontuition-related fees and parking rates for the 2002-2003 academic year. The Regents also elected Owen Newlin, current president, to another two-year term as president of the Board of Regents.

Newlin’s term will begin May 1 and expire April 30, 2004.

Legislature

“It is fair to say that the state Legislature adjourned on a rather unsettled note,” Executive Director Greg Nichols told the regents. Gov. Tom Vilsack has called a special legislative session, set to begin Monday.

Nichols said there are three bills that will impact the budgets of regents’ institutions.

The Omnibus Appropriations Bill “reduces base regent operating appropriations by almost $20 million below final [Fiscal Year] 2002 levels,” according to the regents docket materials.

A salary bill would also reduce funds available to the Regents.

“We’re $24 million short of what we have today and we have all these new obligations,” said Regent David Neil of La Porte City.

Nichols said the appropriation would equal the final 2002 allocation, but that need has increased by $33 million.

Neil said the Regents’ institutions are approaching a nearly 40 percent dependence on tuition for operating the institutions. He expressed concern that soon the institutions would no longer be public.

Regent Mary Ellen Becker of Oskaloosa said it is important for the Regents and the five institutions to communicate needs to the public.

“It is hard for the public, when they see more buildings going up, to understand how strapped the universities are,” she said. “We can put off buildings for a while, but we can’t do without instructors for our students.”

Residence System Rates

Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance, told the board that residence system rates were intended to give students options.

“The opportunity for students to minimize cost is available, mainly in the Towers residence halls,” Madden said.

Neil expressed concern for the rate increase because, as he said, “It all goes into the cost of attendance.”

Regent Lisa Ahrens of Osage pointed out that housing plays a role when students are choosing a college.

“Housing is a recruiting tool,” she said.

Parking Rates

The board approved parking permit increases, most set at $15 but ranging from $5 to $25, without discussion. Iowa State has more than 17,000 parking spaces available to patrons.

Scoreboard

Prior to the meeting of the full board, the regents’ banking committee approved Iowa State’s request to move forward with the installation of a new scoreboard, video display system and sound system at Jack Trice Stadium.

The board is required to give Iowa-based companies priority when considering project bids, but the banking committee decided to give the scoreboard contract to Daktronics, of Brookings, S. D., in order to save Iowa State $104,000, Banking Committee Chairman Fisher said. The new sound system will be installed by DB Acoustics, Inc., of Marion, at a cost of $127,336.

“We were hoping an Iowa company would get it, but that is an 11 or 12 percent savings, and we thought that was significant enough,” Fisher said.

Other Business

President Geoffroy asked the board to accept the resignation of Provost Rollin Richmond effective June 30, 2002. Richmond will leave Iowa State to serve as president of Humboldt State University in California.

The regents approved a report on 18 organizations affiliated with the three state universities, including alumni associations, university foundations and the ISU Memorial Union. Annual reports and audit information on each of these organizations are available from the Board of Regents office in Urbandale.

The Regent Merit System Pay Plan public hearing will be at 7 p.m. in the Regency Room of the Memorial Union.

Nichols reported on the meeting of the Iowa College Student Aid Commission. He said it is likely that two federal aid programs will not be available to Iowa because of state aid reductions. Nichols said a tuition tax write-off proposed in the Iowa Legislature was rejected.

Iowa State told the board that 51 promotion and tenure actions will occur during the 2002-2003 academic year.