2013 Legislative Update

Education Appropriations

The Republican controlled House and Democratically controlled Senate have reached an agreement on the Education Appropriations budget bill known as HF 604.  The bill has been approved by both the House and Senate must now be signed by the Governor. 

It includes:

•          $2.1 million increase in general state aid for UNI (a 2.6% increase) 
•          $5.2 million for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education) 
•          $175,256 for UNI’s Recycling Reuse Technology Transfer Center (flat funding) 
•          $125,302 for UNI’s Real Estate Education program (flat funding)

The compromise does not include the $4 million dollar special appropriation for UNI, which was the second year of a three year $12 million dollar request.  However legislative leaders assure me that UNI will receive additional funding in another bill.  We continue to receive strong support at the Statehouse and appreciate their efforts to find additional resources for the university.

The compromise package does not provide any for financial aid, previously known as tuition set aside.  However the House and Senate have agreed to allow the public universities to use our state appropriations to provide financial aid to Iowa students who demonstrate need.   This means tuition dollars will not be used to provide financial aid but will instead be used to provide a world class education for our students. We are pleased the Legislature recognized the importance of providing need-based financial aid to Iowa students.

Economic Development Appropriations

Funding for UNI’s economic development programs has now been moved out of the Economic Development budget and into the Education Appropriations budget.   The compromise provides $1,066,419 for UNI; an increase of nearly $500,000.  This includes funding for:  

•          The Institute for Decision Making
•           Metal Casting Center
•           MyEntre.Net
•           Economic Gardening  

The proposed increase is due to the great work UNI is doing in these fields and the recognition of this work at the Statehouse.   

I would like to extend a special thank you to our NISG leaders for writing to key legislators on behalf of UNI.  This letter was emailed to House and Senate leaders, our local delegation, and the ten members assigned to the Education Appropriations conference committee.  Once again our students make us proud.

On behalf of the Northern Iowa Student Government:

We join the Iowa Board of Regents and President Allen in supporting an additional two million dollars of supplemental funding for the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) beyond the appropriated four million dollars. The additional two million dollars will allow the university to fund academic programs and remain financially stable, both of which the students at UNI greatly deserve. 

UNI is one of the best academic institutions in Iowa, providing a unique learning environment focused on education rather than research. The great programs at UNI, combined with a smaller faculty to student ratio (16:1), help attract prospective students to the university.

Unlike other universities in Iowa, 92% of the student population at UNI is comprised of Iowans, causing revenue from tuition to be much lower than that of our sister schools. Beyond already having a smaller budget, UNI’s budget was cut by 24 million dollars over the past four years. To help alleviate potential problems related to such large cuts, the legislature graciously provided UNI an additional four million dollar special appropriation, as recommended by the Iowa Board of Regents.

In light of the Iowa Board of Regents-imposed tuition freeze, the upcoming academic year brings a new set of challenges.  UNI does not have a large out-of-state population to generate additional necessary revenue.   The members of Northern Iowa Student Government recognized these financial constraints and even spoke against the tuition freeze last fall.  The university has already cut and restructured programs to move toward a more fiscally-responsible future and additional cuts would have an adverse effect on the quality of education at UNI. 
 
For these reasons we ask you to consider increasing this year’s special appropriation for UNI by two million dollars. 

Representative Walt Rogers tours UNI's Metal Casting Center. The Iowa Legislature is considering a million dollar investment that would allow the center to purchase a new 3-dimensional printer in collaboration with the Advanced Manufacturing Center located in the Cedar Valley TechWorks. 

Majority Democrats in the Iowa Senate are moving this week on the higher education budget and once again there is good news for UNI.  

Their plan includes: 

• $6.1 million increase in general state aid for UNI (a 2.6% increase plus $4 million dollar special appropriation) 
• $5.7 million for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education) 
• $10 million for need-based financial aid for in-state undergraduate students

This means both the House and Senate have proposed the necessary funding to allow the Board of Regents to freeze resident undergraduate tuition in the fall.  That’s particularly important for UNI when you consider more 92 percent of our students come from within the state. 

That said there are some differences between the two chambers.   Senate Democrats recommend spending a million dollars more on STEM than the Governor or the House.  They want to use the additional money to open Microsoft IT academies in schools across the state.  

The House and Senate must also iron out their differences on financial aid.  The House did not including funding for tuition assistance in its budget, while the Senate provided $10 million dollars.  If the Legislature eventually approves funding for financial aid, the Board of Regents has vowed to reduce tuition by the same amount the following year. 

Finally neither the House nor Senate budget provides an increase for UNI’s Real Estate program and Recycling and Reuse Technology Transfer Center. We had hoped these programs would also receive the 2.6 percent increase and will continue to urge legislators to approve additional funding.

Last week I had the pleasure of introducing UNI’s incoming President William Ruud at the Statehouse. We sat down with all six members of our local delegation, the majority and minority leaders of both the House and Senate, and several key committee chairs. We also met with the Governor’s Budget Director David Roederer and Department of Management Fiscal Policy Analyst Joel Lunde. 

Throughout the meetings I was continuously impressed with Dr. Ruud's enthusiasm and knowledge of UNI. More importantly legislators were impressed and shared with me their excitement of our incoming leader. Dr. Ruud meanwhile said he was pleasantly surprised to learn how much support for UNI there is at the Statehouse. That is a testament to the reputation of our faculty, staff, and students. 

Clockwise from bottom: Jeneane Beck, Senator Brian Schoenjahn (D) Arlington, incoming President Bill Ruud, Senator Bill Dotzler (D) Waterloo, Senator Jeff Danielson (D) Waterloo

The Senate Economic Development Committee approved a budget today that dramatically increases funding for UNI’s programming.  The Senate proposes $500,000 more for UNI than the Governor recommended.  This money would be dedicated to Economic Gardening, a program that focuses on growth of stage II Iowa companies.  While this budget is far from settled but it a great starting point for negotiations with the House, whose members will announce their own economic development spending plan soon.    

The economic development budget includes funding for the Institute for Decision Making, Metal Casting Center and MyEntre.Net.  These programs assist community planning groups, foundries, and small businesses across the state.  The Senate's bill will expand UNI’s role in serving small Iowa businesses by investing in economic gardening to provide extensive assistance with advanced market research and tailored growth strategies.

The Senate bill also provides $5 million for the Regents Innovation Fund, $2 million more than the Governor recommended.   The Regents Innovation Fund helps the universities leverage private and federal funds resulting in expanded economic development initiatives and enhanced programming for technology transfer, business incubation, and entrepreneurship.

Once the House economic development budget is unveiled, we will work with both parties to find common ground.

L-R  Chair of the Senate Economic Development Committee Bill Dotzler (D) Waterloo,

Representative Anesa Kajtazovic (D) Waterloo, Representative Bob Kressig (D) Cedar Falls,

UNI Regional Business Center Director Maureen Collins Williams, 

UNI Business and Community Services Executive Director Randy Pilkington

About a dozen UNI students traveled to Des Moines for Regents day at the Iowa Capitol and once again they made us proud. They spoke with legislators about why they chose to attend UNI and why investing in their education benefits the entire state.  The students highlighted UNI’s personal instruction, variety of programs, and friendly campus.   While UNI is the smallest of the state’s three public universities, it is routinely the best represented on Regents day and this year was no exception.  Thank you to the students who traveled to Des Moines and shared their stories with state lawmakers.

L-R Representative Bob Kressig (D) Cedar Falls, Representative Deborah Berry (D) Waterloo, Jordan Bancroft Smithe, KaLeigh White, Blake Findley, Katie White, Eric Boisen, Wes Jones, Representative Anesa Kajtazovic (D) Waterloo

Tyler Moran, Senator Michael Breitbach (R) Strawberry Point, Tom Madsen, Stef McGraw

Eric Boisen, Bryant Hickie, Senator Jeff Danielson (D) Waterloo, Tyler Moran, Stef McGraw, Katie Evans, Jordan Leckband

Jordan Leckband, Senator Dennis Guth (R) Klemme, KaLeigh White

Tom Madsen, Senator Liz Mathis (D) Cedar Rapids, Stef McGraw, Tyler Moran

Katie White, Wes Jones, Blake Findley, Representative Walt Rogers (R) Cedar Falls

Ryan Moon, Senator Amy Sinclair (R) Allerton, Tom Madsen 

House Republicans have unveiled the details of their education budget.

Like the Governor, they propose a 2.6 percent increase in general state aid for the three public universities as well as an additional $4 million for UNI.  This means UNI would receive a 7.5 percent increase next year.   

The House budget also follows the Governor’s recommendation of $4.7 million for STEM, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.  President Ben Allen co-chairs the STEM Executive Advisory Council and UNI administers the program, so we are pleased with the continued support.

However, the House education budget fails to provide an increase for UNI’s Real Estate program and Recycling and Reuse Technology Transfer Center.   We had hoped these programs would also receive the 2.6 percent increase and will continue to urge legislators to approve additional funding. 

House Republicans also declined to provide funding for need based financial aid for students. The universities currently provide this assistance, but the Board of Regents promised to roll back tuition if the state began to cover the cost. 

We are now waiting for Senate Democrats to unveil their education budget.   Once they do, the two parties will begin working on a compromise between the two plans. 

The House and Senate released preliminary budget targets this week. While it's just the first step in the budget process, there is good news in the numbers.

House targets

The overall House Republican target is $6.4 billion, a three percent increase over last year. It includes a 3.9 percent increase ($34 million) in the education budget. While we don't have any details yet regarding Regents funding, the House Appropriations chair Chuck Soderberg made some very positive comments in the Des Moines Register.

"It (our budget) includes a 2 percent (or $74 million) increase in additional state aid for K-12 schools, as well as a $16.1 million increase in funding for the Regents universities and another $10 million for community colleges. The additional Regents funding will be enough to ensure tuition at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa is frozen at current-year levels," Soderberg said.

The House budget also includes a 19 percent ($7 million) increase in the economic development budget. The committee chair Dave Deyoe says it reflects their decision to move the $3 million Regents Innovation Fund into the economic development budget. This is very good news because last year the funding came out of the RIF (Rebuild Infrastructure) budget and we were told it was one-time money.

Senate targets

Senate Democrats propose a $6.9 billion state budget, an 11 percent increase over FY13. It includes a $50 million increase in the education budget and about a $1 million increase for economic development. No additional details were provided.

For point of reference, the Governor's state budget proposal is about $6.5 billion.

For more information, view the House and Senate budget spreadsheets.

http://www.iowahouserepublicans.com/

http://www.senate.iowa.gov/democrats/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/130227_targets_data.pdf

Ag Secretary Bill Northey accepted an invitation to tour UNI’s Tallgrass Prairie Center to learn about how UNI can assist the state deal with nutrient management.  Center Director Daryl Smith says reconstructing prairie in strategically placed locations within watersheds to take advantage of the water retention capabilities of prairie vegetation could effectively slow and/or reduce outflow of water and reduce erosion. 

Left: Northey and Smith discuss the native seed cleaning capability of the state-of-the-art Westrup Air/Screen Cleaner used by the Tallgrass Prairie Center in their Natural Selections Program for production of Iowa Source-Identified Seed for prairie reconstruction and roadside plantings. There have been some advancements over the turn of the 19th century "Clipper Cleaner" fanning mills for seed cleaning. Smith indicated that they still occasionally use a Clipper Cleaner in the early stages of native seed cleaning.

Below: Smith describes some of the challenges in using "classic" machinery: John Deere Model 950 tractor (1976) and Hege Model 12 plot combine (1978).

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, is committed to keeping tuition affordable for Iowa students. If our public universities receive a 2.6 percent increase in state funding as well as a $4 million special appropriation for UNI, the Regents have vowed to freeze tuition for resident undergraduate students next fall.

This is particularly important to UNI undergraduates when you consider:

• 92 percent of UNI students are from Iowa
• 75 percent of UNI students demonstrate financial need
• 25 percent of UNI students are first-generation college students

UNI is doing its part to contain costs and reduce student indebtedness by offering additional loan counseling and financial literacy programs. As a result, the university has helped decrease UNI student loan indebtedness by 7.6 percent. Today's UNI undergraduate students average $23,575 in student debt.

Please contact your state senator or representative and ask them to support the Board of Regents funding request. A 2.6 percent increase means UNI resident undergraduates will not face a tuition increase for the first time in 30 years.

The first annual UNI Day at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines was a great success.  Faculty, staff, and students did a great job showcasing the wonderful programs, departments and organizations at the university.  The day began with eight members of the Men’s Glee Club signing the morning prayer in both the House and Senate chambers. 

L-R Jordan Leckband, Henry Nguyen, Bradley Boyd, Jaime Yowler, Logan Mundt, Eric Boisen, Caleb Claus, Derek Bertram, and Jon O'Leary sing Paul Tchesnokoff's Salvation is Created.

We got a great picture of the UNI graduates currently serving in the Iowa Legislature. 

L-R front row Rep Anesa Kajtazovic (D) Waterloo, Sen Rita Hart (D) Wheatland,

2^nd row President Ben Allen, Rep Curt Hanson (D) Fairfield,  Marti Anderson (D) Des Moines, Rep Mark Costello (R) Imogene, Rep Walt Rogers (R) Cedar Falls,  3^rd row Rep Cindy Winckler (D) Davenport, Rep Bob Kressig (D) Cedar Falls, Rep David Jacoby (D) Coralville, TC, Sen Jeff Danielson (D) Waterloo,  4^th row Rep Quentin Stanerson (R) Center Point, Sen Brian Schoenjahn (D) Arlington,  Rep Beth Wessel- Kroeschell (D) Ames,

(Not pictured Sen Rick Bertrand (R) Sioux City, Sen Bill Dotzler (D) Waterloo, Rep Chris Hagenow (R) Windsor Heights, Sen Janet Petersen (D) Des Moines, Rep Sandy Salmon (R) Janesville)     

Dozens of legislators as well as the Governor and Lieutenant Governor stopped by the interactive displays. 

Senator Jeff Danielson (D) Waterloo

Representative Bob Kressig (D) Cedar Falls with David O'Shields of UNI's Tallgrass Prairie Center

Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds with TC

This year’s event featured 40 exhibits representing STEM education in the schools, businesses, and non-profits like the Girl Scouts. 

Last October The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council announced funding for more than 800 STEM projects across the state, including First LEGO League and KidWind.  The Governor is asking state legislators to continue funding STEM at the same level next year.  The $4.7 million will be used to continue to provide great programming in previously underserved areas.

Members of the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council; Co-chair and UNI President Ben Allen, Senator Mark Chelgren (R) Ottumwa, Representative Josh Byrnes (R) Osage, Governor Terry Branstad, Representative Sharon Steckman (D) Mason City, and STEM Council Executive Director Jeff Weld