State Board of Regents President Marvin Pomerantz defended his use of audits to analyze Regent universities Tuesday night in an address to the ISU Faculty Senate.

In 1989, the Regents contracted KPMG Peat Marwick to conduct a financial audit of the three state universities. The original audit recommendations drew controversy because they called for drastic reductions in academic programs.

Many of the recommendations were not implemented after much protest. Earlier this year, the Regents hired the Pappas Consulting Firm to do a review of the original financial audit.

“These audits were absolutely necessary to ensure the people of Iowa that we were getting the most for the hundreds of millions of tax dollars they invested in these institutions each year,” Pomerantz said. “We are currently involved in a review of these audits. This should cause no one or no institution concern if they have been true to [the] original audit.”

Pomerantz commended ISU for its efforts to reallocate funds between academic programs.

The university has reallocated over $50 million over the past six years.

“By redirecting resources from marginal programs that are not central to its mission to areas of strength that are central, the institution becomes more focused and stronger overall,” he said.

During a question and answer session following Pomerantz’s speech, Suzanne Hendrich, a foods science and human nutrition professor, inquired future budget cuts and how they would affect student enrollment.

“Frankly, I don’t see downsizing in Iowa State’s future,” Pomerantz said. “I’d like to see Iowa State grow. I’d like to see the system grow. I’d like to see the system fully utilized. There is room in our system for more students.”

Pomerantz stressed the importance of undergraduate teaching.

“If we truly have a convection on improving teaching, then we need to reward teaching,” Pomerantz said. “This doesn’t mean we should ignore research.”