June, 2014 Board of Regents Meeting Update
Dear UNI Family,
Thank you for your support during my first year! May 31 was my official one-year anniversary, and year two is already off to a fast start with a Board of Regents meeting held June 4-5 at Iowa State University.
To keep all apprised of decisions at the Board meeting, this is a brief update on the Performance-Based Revenue Model, the TIER (Efficiency) Review and other highlights shared at the Board meeting.
Performance-Based Revenue Model Task Force
Former Regent and Task Force Chair David Miles provided a summary of the Task Force recommendations. He presented information on the history of distributing state appropriations via a base-plus funding model; however, resident enrollment has changed at the three universities, but the distribution of state funds has not changed. The amount of state appropriations distributed on a per-student basis is approximately $8,000 at UNI and ISU, and $14,000 at U of I. The new performance-based revenue model metrics approved at the June 4 Board meeting can be viewed at the Iowa Board of Regents website.
These Board-approved changes are positive for UNI as we move forward. Initially, this indicates a redistribution of the state appropriation dollars and provides additional funding to UNI in FY16 and beyond. However, we must remember that our FY15 budget consists of $4 million in one-time funds, and we need to supplant the loss of these funds in FY16. Further discussion on the details of these metrics and the redistribution of dollars will occur throughout the summer.
Rising to the Next TIER (Transparent, Inclusive, Efficiency Review)
Regent Larry McKibben reported that later this month Deloitte Consulting will prepare an update on the findings of Phase 1. This phase was the analysis of data and the development of a list of potential opportunities to be considered for reducing costs, increasing revenue, and /or improving service within the three universities and across the entire system. Once this list of opportunities is developed and refined, it will be shared with campus.
Phase 2 will begin later this summer with a focus on reviewing administrative operations. Any academic reviews and analysis will occur in the fall. All are still encouraged to submit comments and ideas for the TIER study. Please access the Iowa Board of Regents website and click on Public Comment Emails.
Fall Enrollment
We are optimistic about an increase in our total student enrollment this fall. Thanks to your efforts with Panther Open Houses, campus tours and scholarship competitions, the number of new student applications is 25 percent greater compared to last year. The number of admitted students is 18 percent greater, and we are hopeful our yield rate will be similar or even better than last years rate. Successful summer orientation sessions will be important, and our rigorous recruitment and retention efforts need to be ongoing.
Midwest International Piano Competition
We are pleased our School of Music and the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center are hosting the Midwest International Piano Competition this week, which features 26 exceptional pianists from around the world, including Japan, China, Ukraine, Israel, South Africa, the U.S. and more. The event elevates the prominence of our premier School of Music and our performing arts center and is a testament to their mission to inspire students of all levels to develop an appreciation for the place of music in a culturally diverse world.
Selected to Princeton Reviews Guide to Green Colleges
We were selected by The Princeton Review as one of the 322 most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada. This selection was based on our ongoing and innovative commitment to sustainability in our academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.
National Athletic Director Award
Our athletic director, Troy Dannen, was selected as one of 28 athletic directors across the nation this year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) to be a recipient of the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year Award (ADOY). This award recognizes him for his commitment to student-athlete academic success, and it honors our athletes who are successful in the classroom and on the conference and national playing fields.
NCAA releases multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores
These six-year average scores measure the classroom success and the retention and graduation rates of student-athletes. Six of our teams (womens soccer, golf, cross country and volleyball; mens basketball and golf) are in the top 10 percent of all teams in their respective sport. We lead the state of Iowa and the Missouri Valley Conference in our athletic teams APR scores, and four of our teams have perfect APR scores. Our average APR score, for all of our teams, is 984 out of 1000.
Iowa Campus Compact Leadership Award
Pat Geadelmann received the Iowa Campus Compact Leadership Award for cultivating civic engagement and service-learning opportunities on campus and in the community. She leads our university community service committee and has leadership roles in numerous volunteer, community and civic organizations. Her efforts have led UNI to be recognized on a national and state level for our student service-learning initiatives.
Thankful for Commitment to Excellence
At the Board meeting, we also thanked executive vice president and provost Gloria Gibson for her five years of leadership and service. We are grateful for her commitment to excellence and the numerous initiatives she spearheaded to support faculty, staff and students. Her list of accomplishments is lengthy, but to name just a few, she led positive changes to the teacher education delivery model, which led to UNI being the only university in Iowa to receive the $1 million grant from the Department of Education to pilot a one-year student teaching model. She also established summer fellowships for pre-tenure faculty to support their research and creative work, and she re-established the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL).
Thank you for your great work this past year, and I look forward to year two as we work on the performance-based revenue model, the TIER review recommendations, and engage with new students and their families this summer during our orientation sessions that begin June 9.
Purple for Life!
Bill Ruud