Faculty P&T list goes to regents next week

The state Board of Regents is expected to give final approval to faculty promotions and tenure applications for the 2016-17 academic year when it meets April 20-21 at the Iowa School for the Deaf in Council Bluffs. The meeting agenda and summary documents are online. Audio of public portions of the meeting, including committee meetings, will be live-streamed on the board's website.

Iowa State leaders have forwarded 58 promotion and/or tenure requests to the board. A year ago that number was 70.

ISU faculty promotion/tenure cases, 2016-17

System wide, the board will consider a total of 219 recommendations for promotion and tenure, including 133 at the University of Iowa and 28 at the University of Northern Iowa. Once approved, the list of ISU faculty promotions and tenure will be added to the provost office's faculty advancement and review website.

Recent composition of ISU faculty

Salary increase parameters

At its June 9 meeting, the board is scheduled to vote on salary increase proposals for regent employees. Ahead of that, representatives of non-unionized employee groups at the three universities will share comments with board members. This includes the Faculty Senate and Professional and Scientific Council presidents from Iowa State.

Parking, dining, housing rates

Following initial reviews at its March meeting, the board will give final approval to parking, dining and residence system rates for the 2016-17 academic year.

Parking permit prices would go up, on average, about 3.5 percent, as proposed. Permits for the Memorial Union ramp, which is not managed by the ISU parking division, would go up, on average about 2.5 percent, as proposed.

ISU parking permit rates

*Includes residence and Ames Lab staff

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

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

Academic requests

The board also will be asked to approve two ISU academic changes:

• A program name change in the College of Design: from Bachelor of Design to Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary design. The change would meet accreditation recommendations from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design
• A merger of two departments, anthropology with world languages and cultures, effective July 1. The department's name would be world languages and cultures. The anthropology department has become too small (10 faculty and one P&S staff member) to function as an independent unit. Anthropology would become a program or section within the department. Iowa State would continue to offer B.A., B.S. and M.A. degrees and an undergraduate minor in anthropology.

Other ISU agenda items

In other business, the board will consider giving Iowa State permission to:

• Negotiate land easements, about 50 feet wide, with Dakota Access for the installation of a crude oil pipeline across university property in Story and Buena Vista counties. Regents executive director Robert Donley would approve the terms. Approximately 34 university acres would be impacted by the pipeline. The university will determine the appropriate market value of the land.
• Lease from Dickson and Luann Jensen a 16,000-square-foot, yet-to-be-constructed tennis performance center for the Cyclone tennis team on Mortensen Road, immediately south of the Sukup basketball complex. The proposed lease is for five years at $540,000 per year, with the option to purchase for $1 after five years.
• Allocate mandatory student fees for the 2016-17 year. As approved by the board in December with tuition rates, a full-time ISU student will pay $1,121.40 next year in mandatory fees, an increase of $33.50 over the current rate, split between a $20 health fee increase and a $13.50 increase to support CyRide.