Regents approve faculty P&T, receive salary comments

Meeting April 21 in Council Bluffs, the state Board of Regents approved faculty promotions and tenure applications for the 2016-17 academic year, including 58 cases at Iowa State. The promotions and new titles take effect July 1 for A-base (12-month appointment) faculty and in mid-August for B-base (nine-month) faculty.

Post-tenure review

The annual faculty report to the board noted that last year (2014-15), 87 tenured ISU faculty members were reviewed under the university's post-tenure review policy, about 9 percent of all tenured faculty. An estimated 67 reviews have been conducted during this academic year.

Salary increase requests

At its June 9 meeting, the board is scheduled to vote on salary increase proposals for regent employees. Ahead of that discussion, board members received comments from representatives of non-unionized employee groups at the three universities, including Faculty Senate president Rob Wallace and Professional and Scientific Council president Tera Lawson from Iowa State.

Wallace asked the board to give ISU administrators "maximum flexibility" in adjusting 2016-17 tuition rates in the coming month "to provide meaningful and well-deserved salary increases for faculty at Iowa State," which he described as a very loyal group of professionals.

"Tuition freezes and diminishing legislative support, coupled with increasing costs of operation, collectively present an unsustainable situation for our university," Wallace said. He noted that faculty have waited patiently for some catch-up years following the recession of 2008-09, which resulted in furloughs. "We have not yet rebounded or recovered from that situation, and as salaries at other academic institution increase around us, we fall further behind."

Wallace told board members that faculty feel demoralized and unappreciated, but he asked what messages faculty could send to legislators and the governor about the importance of their work toward creating a better life for Iowans.

Lawson cited numerous examples of P&S positions at Iowa State and their key role in the university's research, teaching and outreach missions. P&S staff teach courses, oversee laboratories, supervise student employees, manage externally funded research programs, advise students and provide other process and support services, she said.

"While not as visible as faculty or students, this employee group is of vital importance and incredible value to our university and regents system," Lawson said. "There is a real need to value the professional and scientific employees, not just with words but with actions."

In the last five years, P&S salaries have increased 6.92 percent, an average of 1.4 percent per year, she noted. She asked board members "to make any efforts possible to acknowledge, recognize and value professional and scientific employees and their contributions to our institutions, to help us retain and attract highly productive and engaged professional and scientific employees, and to continue to invest in the regents institutions."

Board election

Board members unanimously re-elected president Bruce Rastetter and president pro-tem Katie Mulholland to two-year terms (through April 30, 2018) in their leadership posts.

Parking, dining, housing rates

The board approved parking, dining and residence system rates for the 2016-17 academic year.

As those who have renewed their permits already have noticed, parking permit prices have been raised, on average, about 3.5 percent. Permits for the Memorial Union ramp, which is not managed by the ISU parking division, are up, on average, about 2.5 percent.

ISU parking permit rates

*Includes residence and Ames Lab staff

Students have many variables in choosing a residence hall, for example, number of roommates, traditional or suite-style room, presence or absence of air conditioning. Depending on their selections, room rates will increase 2 to 3.5 percent (between $119 and $217) for the academic year. Apartment rates in Frederiksen Court and off-campus buildings leased by the department from private developers will go up about 3.5 percent (between $153 and $269) for the academic year. Rates in Schilletter/University Village will go up 2 percent ($95-$114, depending on the size).

Semester meal plan options for students -- various combinations of meals and Dining Dollars -- will go up 3.2 to 3.8 percent ($97 to $157) next year. Meal blocks of 25 to 100 meals will go up approximately $10 for each 25 meals, or about 4 percent. The door rate for guests at any campus dining center will go up 25 cents, to $9.25 for breakfast and $11.25 for lunch or dinner.

Other ISU agenda items

In other business, the board approved Iowa State requests to:

• Change the name of the Bachelor of Design degree in the College of Design to Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary design, to meet accreditation recommendations from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
• Merge two departments, anthropology and world languages and cultures, effective July 1. The department's name will be world languages and cultures, and anthropology will be a program within it, still offering B.A., B.S. and M.A. degrees and an undergraduate minor in anthropology.
• Negotiate land easements with Dakota Access for the installation of a crude oil pipeline across university property in Story and Buena Vista counties. Senior vice president for business and finance Warren Madden said tile lines running across ISU research fields will be relocated, likely in July and August, at Dakota Access' expense. He said the company, which hopes to get the work (statewide) done in one growing season, has been cooperative, even to the point of paying to relocate several research plots.
• Lease from Dickson and Luann Jensen a yet-to-be-constructed practice facility containing two courts for the Cyclone tennis team immediately south of the Sukup basketball complex. The lease is for five years at $540,000 per year, with the option to purchase for $1 after five years. The tennis team will continue to host its indoor matches at Des Moines facilities.