To: CALS Faculty, Staff and Students

FROM: Dean Wendy Wintersteen

On Monday, I submitted to the office of the Executive Vice President and Provost our preliminary planning report on how we will address budget reductions for FY11. Our report will be available in the near future on the Budget Updates website, which is linked on our CALS homepage.

The report outlines plans to meet the $3.3 million reduction to CALS/Experiment Station and ANR Extension. Some plans will take multiple years to accomplish. It also speaks to plans that our departments and other units have been considering for upcoming fiscal years beyond FY11.

I understand if you’re tired of hearing the word “uncertainty” when we talk about budget planning, but unfortunately, it’s part of the vocabulary. In this academic year we’ve seen unprecedented budget challenges. As best as we can foresee, there will be continued but slow economic recovery for the state, the potential for further declines in state appropriations, the demographics of a shrinking recruitment pool of Iowa high school graduates and likely continued cost increases that CALS pays for utilities and central services. That’s why our planning has looked to a future with those possible scenarios.

On the other side of the ledger, we need to be resourceful and entrepreneurial in how to generate new revenues to meet our mission, and to make a commitment collegewide to increase the student credit hours taught by our faculty.

I commend the leadership demonstrated by department chairs, center directors, Faculty Senators and other unit leaders in this difficult process. I also have appreciated all the thoughtful ideas and questions from faculty, staff and students.

I’d like to summarize what I feel to be the most significant impacts of these plans:

Reduced graduate student support. We pulled back all graduate student support the College has provided in the past to departments — approximately $3 million. Nearly two-thirds of that total will be used to meet our reduction. Under a new policy, the remaining funds (approximately $1.3 million) will be in a central pool that will fund half-time graduate teaching assistantships or otherwise fund graduate students who significantly serve departments through instruction. This decision means that more graduate student support, especially for research, must be paid through external grants and contracts. The College will cover graduate student tuition, according to ISU policy, for students funded through the College pool. In addition, the College will consider requests for tuition support if a faculty member cannot obtain tuition through a funding sponsor. We already are discussing with some external stakeholders how they might support graduate students, and we plan to make fundraising for graduate education a higher priority.

Loss of faculty, staff positions. In our preliminary plan, about a half-dozen current or expected faculty vacancies will not be filled so we can meet our reduction. There also is the potential for a number of support staff positions to be lost. We are discussing with stakeholders the possibility of providing funding to refill positions; for example, the position held by Roger Ginder in economics, who has retired from a career in extension and applied research beneficial to Iowa’s cooperatives.

Possible departments combining or sharing services. Agricultural Education and Studies and Horticulture are considering a possible combination of their departments. There are common linkages with curriculum and the opportunity to gain efficiencies in operations. The departments of Entomology and Natural Resource Ecology and Management are exploring a “business center” model in which they would share a department chair and staff. Also, the Iowa Beef Center and Iowa Pork Industry Center are planning a similar effort to share support staff.

Insect science major. The Entomology faculty voted to discontinue this undergraduate major. The Faculty Senate will address the department’s decision, probably in the fall. Insect science currently has 12 students (2 in insect science, 10 in entomology, its former name). If the major is discontinued, students will be able to take the courses they need to complete their degrees.

Sociology refocus. Over the next few years, the Department of Sociology, coadministered by CALS and LAS, will be significantly impacted by reductions. No one questions the importance of the discipline, but we do not have the resources to support the department at current levels. The work of sociology is important to how individuals and communities approach critical issues such as water quality and economic development. Our expectation is that the remaining state funds be focused on extension and applied research addressing those critical Iowa issues, and on maintaining undergraduate education for students across campus.

Next steps: the University will present a preliminary budget to the Board of Regents on April 29. The final University budget will be submitted for approval at the Regents’ June meeting.

You never need to look far for good news. Although budget messages like these can be daunting, please remember to focus on the future. Do not forget that our accomplishments and successes continue to grow and accumulate every day. Here are a few examples that come immediately to mind:

- The University continues to show its commitment to an integrated view of the College and the Experiment Station in budget decisions, which accurately reflects the nature of our teaching and research programs. Without this integration, our budget cuts would be much deeper.

- Our faculty and staff continue to be honored for stellar contributions in research, extension and teaching on the national and international levels. Our faculty continue to show outstanding success as they step up to new opportunities and new frontiers. They compete with the very best to win grants and contracts.

- Our students and student groups continue to amaze with their successes. Every year, our student leaders prove they are among the very best in the nation. Beginning in January, they’ve provided invaluable comments and support through this process. They’ve asked good questions and made us think hard about our decisions. We continue to hear a message of maintaining high-quality education, advising and opportunities that are the hallmark of CALS. It is a hallmark made possible only by our excellent faculty, instructors and mentors, who truly are molding the future in their classrooms and labs.

- We’ve had many productive discussions on shared budget issues with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. We share much in common with LAS, in administering six departments and ties with many interdisciplinary programs. We’ve strengthened our partnership in these trying times, and look forward to future collaborations that help us meet our mission.

- Our fundraising efforts on behalf of faculty excellence, student financial support and new facilities continue to make significant progress. We’re proud of our Development team as they work on our behalf. Our alumni and friends continue to support us in any way they are able, and understand the budgetary issues we face.

- As always, our alums certainly are at the top of what makes us proud. Their roots at Iowa State have meant the world to them. They truly are our legacy.

Spring is a special time; it means a lot for this College and its programs. It’s a new season, new beginnings, a time to plant and take root. We will continue to plan for the future. I recently read the initial draft of the new 2010-15 university strategic plan, and I can clearly see CALS in the center of its vision and many of its goals.

Please let me know if you have comments to share.