President Wendy Wintersteen and several senior ISU leaders held a virtual town hall for faculty and staff May 4, answering live questions from employees for about 40 minutes.
In opening remarks, Wintersteen gave a status report on Iowa State's response to COVID-19 and thanked faculty and staff for their commitment in the face of historic challenges.
"The stories that we hear every day about how you have responded to keep us moving forward, these are stories that we will remember forever," she said.
Summer planning
A group from Iowa State's COVID-19 incident command leadership is developing recommendations to safely gear back up daily operations on campus this summer, including strategies for social distancing, personal health monitoring, and other infection control and risk mitigation efforts in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Iowa Department of Public Health and guidance from Gov. Kim Reynolds. Additional information will be released within days. The summer planning group includes:
- Erin Baldwin, assistant vice president for student health and wellness and director of the Thielen Student Health Center
- Michael Newton, associate vice president for public safety and ISU police chief
- Clayton Oliver, emergency manager, environmental health and safety (EHS)
- Stephen Simpson, EHS director of emergency management and outreach
- Kristi Darr, interim vice president of university human resources
In the Q&A portion of the forum -- the second virtual town hall for employees since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, though there weren't any questions during the first session due to technical difficulties -- senior leaders shared information about what's next for Iowa State, though much is still up in the air. Below are some highlights from their answers. A video recording of the session is available.
State funding is key
Wintersteen said Iowa State projects about $88 million in lost revenue and $1 million in new expenses through the end of August -- figures that don't include the impact on research. The state Board of Regents has proposed freezing tuition rates, and even before the coronavirus, plans for the fiscal year 2021 budget beginning July 1 included a 5% reduction due to an expected drop in enrollment. Another 5% budget cut now is planned for fiscal year 2022.
Asked about the possibility of trimming personnel costs with furloughs or an early retirement program, both used to help balance a budget reduction during the 2009 recession, Wintersteen said it's too soon to know if those options will be needed. State funding will be a key determining factor. Budget planners have been expecting flat state appropriations, but Iowa's tax revenue will fall sharply because of the pandemic. If state lawmakers set the fiscal year 2021 budget in June as Wintersteen expects, decisions about cost-saving measures could come in July, she said.
Money saved by the reduced utility costs of limiting work on campus to essential duties is being tracked, interim senior vice president for operations and finance Pam Cain said.
Summer plans soon
Several employees asked about the timeline for faculty and staff returning to campus. Wintersteen said a committee is making recommendations for summer plans and some details will be released soon. For now, all in-person events scheduled on campus have been canceled or postponed through May 31. All summer classes are being taught online.
"In the next week or so, we're going to have some information on how we're going to gear campus back up," she said.
ISU police chief and associate vice president for public safety Michael Newton said campus officials have been coordinating with city and county leaders as they consider ways to restart.
"The things we do here at Iowa State have great impact on them," he said.
Forward into fall
The committee preparing for the return to normal-as-can-be operations in the fall began meeting this week. Much could change in the next three months, so most fall-related questions employees posed don't have certain answers -- such as when the Student Innovation Center will open or how social distancing will be maintained in residence and dining hall settings.
Committee chair John Lawrence, vice president for extension and outreach, said classroom density is one area being studied. It's possible that available public spaces in facilities such as the Scheman Building and Hilton Coliseum could be used for classes to allow for appropriate distancing, he said.
While online courses will be more prevalent than before, senior vice president and provost Jonathan Wickert said practical hands-on learning will remain the hallmark of the Iowa State experience.
"We are a residential campus. We know all the fantastic learning that takes place in the context of a residential campus -- in the classroom and outside the classroom," he said.
Masks and tests
Recommendations from the committees on summer and fall reopening plans will explore the extent to which mitigation such as face masks and regular coronavirus testing will be needed on campus, Wintersteen said.
Environmental health and safety released a video with instruction on how to safely wear and remove a cloth face mask, said Erin Baldwin, assistant vice president for student health and wellness and director of the Thielen Student Health Center.
Working from home
Before the COVID-19 crisis, a university human resources (UHR) project team was studying how to broaden the use of flexible hours and work-from-home arrangements. The project team is adjusting its plan to incorporate lessons learned since mid-March and hopes to introduce some guidance to help those options become a more regular part of ISU culture, interim vice president of UHR Kristi Darr said.
