Two degree programs, FY27 state funding requests go to regents

Two new undergraduate degree programs, including Iowa State's sixth degree of the future in digital storytelling, and a request for state assistance to renovate Atanasoff Hall are on the agenda when the Iowa Board of Regents meets next week in Cedar Falls. The agenda is online and open portions of the meeting will be livestreamed on the board website.

The bachelor of arts degree in digital storytelling (PDF) is a collaboration between the Greenlee School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the music and theatre department. Core and elective coursework, co-curricular activities and internships will prepare students for a variety of high-demand careers that involve work in, for example, TV, documentary films, social media, podcasts, websites, news features, magazines, video games and the extended realities (augmented, virtual and mixed). 

The second degree program, a bachelor of fine arts in illustration, would be offered through the art and visual culture department, in collaboration with the graphic design department, both in the College of Design. It builds on the college's five-year-old minor in illustration. Graduates will be proficient in a range of technical skills in various mediums such as drawing, painting, printmaking and digital art, and equipped to adapt to emerging technologies and industry trends.

If approved, the first students in both programs would begin in fall 2026.

Funding requests: Atanasoff Hall, strategic programming

The 56-year-old Atanasoff Hall, home to the computer science department, still has most of its original building systems and a $7 million deferred maintenance tally. University leaders identified its renovation as a priority during a presentation to the board last September. Iowa State's funding requests to the state for next year include an $8 million total investment (PDF) over two years (the planning phase) to help with an estimated $33 million complete building renovation. Private gifts would pay for the rest of the project, as proposed.

For university operations (PDF), Iowa State seeks an additional $3.6 million in state support for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2026. The two requests are for direct appropriations:

• $3 million for a new initiative, Iowa Ag Tech Innovation, that features $1.8 million more (6% increase) for the Agriculture Experiment Station, and $1.2 million more (5.5% increase) for Cooperative Extension Service. This initiative represents a commitment to the future of Iowa farms, rural communities and the statewide economy in a service-driven effort focused on applied research and outreach. Some program areas could include livestock production and management, nutrient and pest management, grain handling and storage, and workforce development related to artificial intelligence (AI).
• $600,000 (a 12% increase) in additional funding for Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) operations. With the opening in 2026 of the second phase of the new VDL, leaders estimate a $3 million increase to annual operations expenses, about two-thirds of which can be earned by innovating, expanding services and increasing testing fees.

University leaders will not request an increase to its general university appropriation, which has stood at $178.4 million for the last two years. Iowa State is proposing to combine some, though not all, direct state appropriations with the general university appropriation next fiscal year. Proposed are direct appropriations for the Agriculture Experiment Station, Cooperative Extension Service and STEM workforce, which total $51.4 million this fiscal year. 

By law, state agencies submit to the state by Oct. 1 funding requests for the next fiscal year.

More Iowa State items

In other ISU-related action, the board will:

• Consider making permanent an adoption assistance program (PDF) piloted for three years (FY 2023-25) for benefit-eligible employees. Iowa State and Iowa participated in the pilot with different program parameters. At each school, four employees used the benefit during the pilot period. As proposed, each participating university again would develop its own parameters, subject to approval by the board executive director.
• Accept a report (PDF) summarizing deficiencies in the public spaces and private family spaces at the Knoll, the on-campus residence for the university president. In July, the board directed all three regent universities to complete a facility analysis of its presidential home and prepare a report. Due to ISU's anticipated leader transition this winter, Iowa State's deadline is earlier; the other two reports are due at the board's November meeting.
• Review a policy manual change that would require board executive director approval when a regent university chooses to dispose of items whose value is above $1 million and the proposed disposal method is outside surplus property standard disposal procedures. This is in response to a June audit report of Iowa State's sale of an airplane.
• Authorize the board office to administer the regents' biennial free speech survey to all employees and students this academic year. The survey is in addition to the free speech training employees and students complete annually.