At Wednesday’s state Board of Regents meeting, the board approved a $13.9 million project funding the renovation of Maple Hall next year and a $1.25 million video board for Hilton Coliseum.

However, the focus of the meeting was a presentation by Iowa State President Martin Jischke.

Jischke said the goal to become the best land-grant university has almost been reached.

Jischke said ISU is closing in on the top-ranked universities in the nation.

“There’s no definitive poll, but we’re clearly in the top four of five,” he said. “We are hearing from others that we do it as well as anyone they’ve run into.”

Jischke gave a presentation titled “To Become the Best: The Strategic Plan for 1995-2000,” to the regents, documenting ISU’s progress toward several institutional goals.

“This was a record-breaking and historic year for Iowa State,” he said.

A principle goal in the ISU Strategic Plan is to strengthen undergraduate teaching, programs and services and, according to Jischke, great strides have been made in this area.

“We are devoting the majority of our new funding [to undergraduate teaching],” Jischke said. He cited that 63.7 percent of introductory courses are being taught by faculty this semester, and that 85.3 percent of senior faculty members are teaching at least one undergraduate course.

He also commented on the 98.2 percent of faculty using computers, and ISU’s rank as the 19th best-wired school in the nation by the Internet service, Yahoo.

“Iowa State is wired electronically,” he said.

Jischke spoke on the programs being implemented to improve student life. He said there are more computer labs, more special-needs housing options and new learning communities for students.

ISU also recently implemented diversity and international requirements, “a major accomplishment for a research university of our size.”

Enrollment, retention and graduation rates also were discussed. All three are up this fall, with enrollment at more than 25,000 and first-year retention rates at 82 percent. But six-year graduation rates still “have a long way to go,” Jischke said.

ISU also is improving in student athlete graduation.

Jischke said ISU leads the Big 12, and previously led the Big 8, in six-year graduation rates for student athletes.

With a school record enrollment of 156 National Merit Scholars in 1996, Jischke said ISU continues to excel in scholarship programs. Last year under-represented scholars were also admitted through the Hixson program. He said additional tuition scholarships for graduate students have been established.

Another goal of the Strategic Plan involves outreach and extension.

ISU extension offices can now be found in every county in Iowa, and off-campus students are being served more than ever through the Iowa Communications Network, or ICN, Jischke said.

Strides have also been made in research, Jischke reported. Last year, ISU had three winners of the R&D 100 Award, which recognizes “the 100 most significant technology developments,” he said.

Extensive fundraising has been taking place to support ISU’s strategic planning goals.

More than $100 million has been raised from “alumni and friends” of the university through Campaign Destiny, which “sends a powerful message,” Jischke said.

The regents received Jischke’s report by general consent, with Regent James Arenson thanking Jischke for his vision and commenting on the excitement on the ISU campus.

“This is a campus on the move,” Arenson said.

Tuesday, the board received reports on fall enrollment, graduation and student retention rates, technology transfer, deferred maintenance, fire safety, benefits and purchasing by general consent. They also approved a banking committee report and institutional agreements by vote.