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In a past issue of our Advocate Update, provided an overview of the “Partnership for Transformation and Excellence.” In this issue, I would like to provide you with additional details about the “Partnership” and enlist your assistance. During its meeting in November, the Board of Regents approved its legislative requests and reiterated that the “Partnership” is its top priority.
I would like to request that you to consider contacting your local elected officials to reinforce how critical this priority is to citizens across the state. These requests will initially be considered by Governor Vilsack and by the General Assembly when it convenes on January 10, 2005. Board members, the Presidents, and the State Relations Officers from each of the three universities have already been conducting meetings with state legislators to explain these requests. They will continue that process until the session begins.
Over the next several weeks, I would ask you to consider approaching your local elected officials to indicate your support of these requests and the priority “Partnership” provisions. Your interest and support of will make a difference; constituent opinions carry great weight and significance. |
The “Partnership for Transformation and Excellence” is a simple plan which will enhance the Regent strategic priorities for educational quality and public accountability. It will provide for:
- moderate, predictable annual tuition increases;
- a reallocation plan to strengthen academics at the three Regent universities;
- a capital appropriations request that will address safety and deferred
- maintenance needs; and
- regulatory relief.
State Funding
This section of the “Partnership” includes a request for $40 million incremental increase in state appropriations to the Board of Regents for fiscal years 2006 through 2009.
If the “Partnership” provisions were to be adopted, the Board of Regents would agree not to increase tuition beyond the inflationary costs for resident Iowa undergraduates during the four-year period the program is operational.
University Reallocations
Through these reallocations, the universities will be given the opportunity to reprioritize and reallocate resources to enhance strategic educational priorities.
These reallocations would be undertaken with agreed upon definitions of reallocation that would be clear, concise and be able to be defended by an audit process.
Deferred Maintenance
and Fire Safety
Another element of the “Partnership” includes a plan to address the most significant deferred maintenance and fire safety needs of Regent facilities.
This part of the program would request a $15 million state commitment for five years and a match of institutional funds. This would be the only state capitals funding request from the Board of Regents in the upcoming legislative session. Well-maintained facilities are essential to
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maintaining high-quality educational and research activities as well as ensuring the safety of faculty, staff and students. Regulatory Relief
The final element of the plan is targeted to increase efficiencies in Regent institutions. Currently, the Regents and frequently each individual institution are mandated by legislation or by Iowa Code to comply with regulations that no longer have a critical strategic purpose, ask for duplicate information, or may inhibit access to more competitively priced products.
Regents staff are currently compiling a comprehensive list of regulations which
might be eliminated to create cost efficiencies but not diminish public accountability.
The Battelle Report |
The Board of Regents also reaffirmed their commitment to several other agencies’ requests that are of strategic importance to Regent institutions. The first is the recommendation for the Iowa Department of Economic Development’s “Bioscience Pathway for Development” initiative based on the recent
Battelle report.
Other Agencies
The other recommendations are from the Iowa College Student Aid Commission to provide support for the state College-Work study program that has not received a funding allocation for the past several years and for the Iowa Grant program that promotes low-income access to higher education.
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