Final approval of budgets for the year that began July 1, performance reviews for top administrators at the regent institutions, and a final report of the board's transparency task force are on the agenda when the state Board of Regents meets next week in the Memorial Union Sun Room. The public portion of the meeting is scheduled to begin at approximately 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7, and continue at 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 8. Annual evaluations of the administrative leaders will be done in a closed session Wednesday morning. A live audio stream of all public portions of the meeting is online at the board's website, as is the full agenda and supporting documents.
Iowa State's proposed FY14 total budget is just shy of $1.29 billion, an increase of approximately $76 million (6 percent) over the FY13 budget. It includes a general fund operating budget of $614.2 million and restricted funds budget of $675.6 million.
Center changes
Iowa State will seek permission to close three centers or institutes and open one. Those closing are:
- Harkin Institute for Public Policy, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, established in 2011. In May, Sen. Tom Harkin announced he would donate his papers to Drake University.
- Iowa Center for Research on Botanical Dietary Supplements, College of Human Sciences, established in 2003. Federal funding streams of $17 million were not renewed in 2011 and the center is not financially sustainable.
- Airworthiness Assurance Center of Excellence, IPRT, established in1997. The center no longer receives federal funds and is not financially sustainable.
The proposed new center is the Iowa Nutrient Research Center in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. It was created by legislation during the 2013 session to coordinate research and innovation that focuses on water quality and reducing farm field nutrients that make it to waterways. The center's research will support the state's water quality goals. A $1.5 million state appropriation in FY14 and FY15 will support the center.
Academic presentations
Several Iowa State presentations are scheduled, either to the full board or the education and student affairs committee. They are:
- Ralph Napolitano, associate director for online learning, CELT: "Online Learning Initiatives at Iowa State University," Wednesday afternoon
- Michael Cho, Lloyd Chair in Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine: "Exploring the Link Between Animal and Human Disease," Thursday afternoon
- (non-faculty presentation) John Baldwin, director of the Iowa Department of Corrections: Summary of a collaborative project between the new women's prison at Mitchellville and Iowa State's landscape architecture department, Thursday afternoon
