In the face of university budget cuts, the Vice President for External Affairs position will be eliminated in July, saving the university about $250,000 each year.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy announced last week that he will not fill the position, which was left empty after Murray Blackwelder left for Purdue University.

When Ben Allen’s one-year appointment as Interim Vice President for External Affairs expires on July 1, he will return to the College of Business faculty.

The eight offices that currently report to the Vice President for External Affairs will be redistributed to other administrative offices, Geoffroy said.

He began considering the possible elimination of the office in the fall, he said, “when budget challenges began to increase.”

Once office supplies and the salaries of the vice president and two office staff are eliminated, the university will save about $250,000 each year, Geoffroy said, and other savings may become more apparent over time.

The office of Vice President of External Affairs is a “united effort to advance the university,” Allen said.

“We present the university in a way it should be presented,” he said.

Although it hasn’t been determined how all eight external affair units will be redistributed, three units – University Relations, Intercollegiate Athletics and the Alumni Association – will report to the president’s office, Geoffroy said. The Iowa State Center will report to the Vice President for Business and Finance, he said.

How to distribute the remaining external affairs units – WOI Radio, University Museums, University Marketing and Reiman Gardens – has not been decided, Geoffroy said.

“It is an increase in workload, and we’ll simply have to find ways to adjust to that,” he said.

But the units will not weaken because of the moves.

“We will be able to continue to provide top quality services,” Geoffroy said.

Both Geoffroy and Allen are optimistic about the redistribution.

“I have been very impressed with the directors and staff here,” Allen said. “I have a lot of confidence that these units will perform in a fine manner; they are professional, dedicated and enthusiastic.”

Lynette Pohlman, director of University Museums, said she is not concerned about the readjustment.

“I am comfortable and confident that wherever University Museums reports, we will continue to operate effectively and efficiently and continue to serve our audiences both on and off campus,” she said.