Regents approve faculty promotion, tenure awards

Promotion and tenure awards for 76 Iowa State faculty cleared the last hurdle April 24 when the state Board of Regents approved the list without discussion. The list includes 44 cases of promotion to associate professor with tenure, two tenure-only awards, and 30 promotions to full professor. For most (9-month, B-base) faculty, the changes take effect Aug. 16; for A-base (12-month) faculty, the effective date is July 1.

Salary discussions

As a run-up to salary policy discussion planned for the board's June 5 meeting, leaders of employee groups not represented by a union were invited to address the board. The group included Faculty Senate president Veronica Dark and Professional and Scientific Council president Steve Mayberry. Dark noted that, over time, faculty salary increases haven't kept up with inflation. In fact, ISU faculty salaries are the second lowest in its peer group of 11 schools. Faculty morale is low, she said, and not helped by a new misperception that student debt at graduation is at least partially attributable to high faculty salaries. She urged board members to speak out to "clear this misconception" and to "move forward with meaningful salary increases."

Mayberry pressed board members to work harder to get the regent universities included in a state salary appropriation. He said morale among P&S staff mostly is very good, but that salary compression, market equity for specific P&S jobs, low starting salary ranges and the capacity to retain exceptional employees are concerns.

Parking permits

The board approved parking permit increases for the year that begins July 1. Iowa State's increases, ranging from $3 to $12, are included in the chart below.

*Includes residence department, Ames Lab staff permits

The board also approved increases to several parking fines. The illegal parking fine will increase $10, to $40; the fine for parking in a reserved space without the appropriate permit will increase $5, to $30; and the fine for illegally exiting the MU ramp will increase $15, to $65.

Construction requests

Iowa State will begin planning to turn 10,500 square feet of Hach Hall unfinished basement into laboratory space for new chemistry faculty. When Hach opened in 2010, this space was reserved for future development to attract top-rated faculty to the department. The estimated $4 million cost already has been raised in private gifts.

The athletics department received permission to contract with Daktronics to design, fabricate and install a video scoreboard in the south end of Jack Trice Stadium. The existing message boards and scoreboards in the stadium and Hilton Coliseum were purchased from Daktronics, and the new and existing systems will be integrated. The estimated $2.3 million proposal is part of a larger plan to "bowl in" the south end of the stadium and improve the open space between the stadium and Reiman Gardens.

University funding for public radio

The board approved Iowa Public Radio's request to return to FY13 funding levels from the three universities -- $944,800 total – for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Since 2011, IPR has been in a plan to reduce its university funding to $0 by FY17, in turn increasing support from large donors. It is receiving $826,700 this year and was scheduled to receive $708,600 in FY15, $236,200 less than the revised amount.

Citing a period of interim leadership for the organization, IPR board chair Mary Kramer told board members the additional funds would help new executive director Myrna Johnson develop a sustainable funding model and launch a large donor effort. Iowa State's share this year is $238,018; its FY13 contribution was $272,021.

Superintendent selection

Following interviews on April 23 with three finalists, the board selected Steven Gettel, superintendent of the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind since 2001, to serve as superintendent of the Iowa School for the Deaf, Council Bluffs, and the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, Vinton. He is scheduled to begin his duties on Aug. 1, and succeeds Patrick Clancy, who in December announced his intent to retire this summer.

Board elections

The board also reelected Bruce Rastetter and Katie Mulholland, board president and president pro tem respectively, to two-year terms, effective May 1.

In other business, the board approved Iowa State's request to:

• Raise residence system rates for the 2014-15 year (1.0-1.5 percent for campus halls and apartments). Campustown and southwest Ames apartments operated by the residence department will have new rates next year that are 10-14 percent above this year's. The department used Frederiksen Court rates this year because the off-campus option materialized after FY14 rates were set.
• Raise ISU Dining rates for the 2014-15 year. Semester meal plans will go up an average of 1.35 percent and meal blocks will rise 1.5 percent. The public "door rate" at any of the dining centers will go up 25 cents, to $8.75 for breakfast and $10.75 for lunch and dinner.
• Phase out the Master of Public Administration program in the political science department due to lack of funds needed to retain the full-time faculty required for accreditation. Program phase-out to accommodate enrolled students is expected to take two more years.
• Establish a Master of Engineering program in energy systems engineering, an interdepartmental, online, non-thesis program designed for practicing professionals