INVESTING IN IOWA STATE...2019/09/19  · INVESTING IN IOWA STATE: PROVIDING AN EXCEPTIONAL VALUE FOR OUR STUDENTS AND ALL IOWANS WENDY WINTERSTEEN, PRESIDENT September 18, 2019 Good

Good afternoon. It’s great to be here with you today. This is always an exciting time as we begin a new academic year. It’s wonderful to welcome back our students – including our new student regent, Zack Leist. Zack, welcome and congratulations on your appointment to the Board of Regents. Hope your semester is off to a great start at Iowa State! I appreciate this opportunity to highlight Iowa State University’s unique value as the state’s only land-grant institution. I also will outline the new investments we are seeking from the state for Fiscal Year 2021, and how we’ll leverage those resources to benefit our students and all Iowans. [Next slide]

As the state’s only land-grant institution, Iowa State University’s mission of teaching, research, and extension benefits all Iowans. We are a leader in preparing Iowans for the workforce with comprehensive programs in innovation, entrepreneurship, and STEM fields. Our faculty conduct research and put it to work for Iowans to address local challenges and strengthen communities. The ISU Research Park is an engine of economic growth and opportunities – not just for Ames and Story County – but for the entire state. And ISU Extension and Outreach provides vital services to Iowans in all 99 counties through innovative, research-based programs. [Next slide]

Aligning with our land-grant mission, Iowa State opens its doors widely to provide a high quality education to all eligible Iowans – regardless of their background. And our campus is greatly enhanced by students from around the nation and the world. This fall, Iowa State University welcomed 33,391 students from all 99 counties in Iowa, all 50 states, and 115 countries. Our total enrollment reflects the largest freshman class of nearly 5600 freshmen and more Iowa undergraduate students than any other university. 16,865 undergraduate Iowans are enrolled at ISU this fall. [next slide]

But what we’re most proud of at Iowa State is that we don’t simply bring in large numbers of students. We continue to enhance our campus environment and experience to ensure each student can be successful. And it’s working – we are graduating record numbers of students in record time! Last year more than 6900 undergraduates earned ISU degrees, and the average time to degree is 4.4 years. ISU graduates have never been in more demand. Our post-graduation success rate is a stellar 95% - meaning 95% of our graduates get a job in their field or continue their education within six months. Employers are clamoring to hire our graduates because ISU graduates develop an entrepreneurial mindset – meaning they’re ready to make an immediate impact as innovators, critical thinkers, and difference-makers [Next slide]

At Iowa State, we are infusing innovation and entrepreneurship into everything we do – including the undergraduate curriculum. It’s one way we are differentiating our programs for the future of higher education. ISU students develop entrepreneurial skills and behaviors that empower them to launch their own business concepts, help existing companies innovate and grow, and become change-agents in their communities. During the Iowa State Fair, we hosted a pitch competition for students from all the colleges to “pitch” their business ideas to fairgoers and judges. More than 100 undergraduate students and recent alumni participated. The top prize went to Continuum Ag, a company started by Mitchell Hora, a recent ISU graduate, and his brother, David Hora, a freshman in agronomy. They’re from Washington, Iowa. Pitch competitions are used regularly in our entrepreneurship programs to help students learn to articulate their ideas in a concise and compelling way. They help our students develop better communication and presentation skills as well as build confidence. [next slide]

Our culture of innovation and entrepreneurship includes the great work happening at the ISU Research Park. This is where Iowa State’s value as an engine of economic growth and opportunity is accelerating. The ISU Research Park – anchored by the Economic Development Core Facility – is currently home to 90 companies, more than 2000 employees, 300 student interns – and growing! In the last year, industry giants including Kent Corporation and Collins Aerospace opened satellite offices at the park focused on innovation. John Deere recently cut the ribbon on its new 37,000 square foot sprayer test facility. But what’s more – the Park is spinning off jobs and opportunities all across Iowa. Companies that started at the Park and have since relocated across the state currently employ nearly 2500 Iowans. [next slide]

Entrepreneurial programs based at the ISU Research Park – including the ISU Startup Factory – are helping to make the state more competitive in business growth and job creation. 77 companies that have completed the ISU Startup Factory are up and running and have raised a combined $23 million in capital. One of those companies is SAFI-Tech, started by Professor Martin Thuo – pictured on the left. The company produces no-heat solder for electronics manufacturing and recently received an investment from a Boston firm to bring this innovation to market. You may recall that Iowa State University, in partnership with the Ames Laboratory, is also the birthplace of lead-free solder, which revolutionized the electronics industry and was our top royalty income-generating technology. ISU’s economic development assistance programs including the Center for Industrial Research and Service and the Small Business Development Center also are housed at the ISU Research Park, but they reach companies and businesses in every Iowa county. Last year, CIRAS and SBDC served 5,700 different companies, helping create or retain 6,800 jobs, and generating more than $841M of total economic impact. The photo in the middle shows representatives of a company called WindSmart Systems in Des Moines. The company builds enhanced weather-resistant commercial roof replacements. They worked closely with CIRAS – who coordinated a capstone team of Iowa State student engineers to do the initial redesign of their roofing vents. CIRAS also helped the company connect with another Iowa manufacturer to do the production of the vents [turn page] As Iowa’s only land-grant university, we have a unique extension and outreach mission. Our offices in all 99 counties provide a front door to vital services, research, and education from Iowa State University. Our extension professionals live and work in every county and work hand-in-hand everyday with farmers, business owners, and others. One recent example – ISU Extension specialists with the Iowa Pork Industry Center partnered with the Iowa Pork Producers Association and other industry leaders to develop and deliver hands-on ventilation training and education to pork producers. A portable trailer was used to demonstrate state-of-the-art technology at trainings across the state. A total of 171 producers participated in the workshops, which translates to an impact on over 63 million pigs and over 1.2 million sows. [Next slide]

ISU’s culture of innovation and entrepreneurship is constantly advancing as a result of the work of our outstanding faculty. Our Faculty provide value every day by putting their research to work for Iowans and the world. Last year, they set a new record for external research funding at $261 million. They also secured 34 patents, improving Iowa State’s Top 100 worldwide ranking for U.S. patents to #69. Last year, we were #83. A key principle of our land-grant mission is to adapt and respond to society’s rapidly changing needs and advance science with practical applications. Here is a great example: Pictured on the far left is Professor Robert Brown with his Assistant Scientist, Santanu Bakshi. They are studying a slow-release fertilizer that can not only feed crops but also protect water quality. It’s called biochar – a black powder that comes from bio-oil production. This is a great example of Iowa State’s leading role in critical issues like water quality and innovations to advance the growth of Iowa’s bioeconomy. Iowa State’s undergraduate students benefit from our research enterprise in many ways – including keeping our academic curriculum on the leading edge and attracting world-class faculty like these two. [Next slide]  

As we think about the future of higher education… we are well aware of the conversations and media reports about the rising cost. Both public and private colleges are experiencing enrollment challenges and are taking steps to attract more students. What we can say for certain is college graduates on average earn $1 million dollars more over their lifetime than individuals with a high school degree. Iowa State has never wavered in its commitment to our land-grant principle of remaining accessible and affordable. Students continue to choose Iowa State because we offer very competitive tuition rates. Iowa State’s rates are 20% to 80% less than other universities across the Midwest. And we offer the lowest tuition and fees compared to our peer land-grant universities – as shown here. [Next slide]

But our low tuition rates combined with fewer students enrolled at Iowa State this fall is further reducing our overall income. Like all Iowa businesses, Iowa State is experiencing increased costs for employee salaries, infrastructure, technology, and services. As a result of increasing costs and lower tuition revenue, Iowa State made some extremely difficult decisions to reallocate $23 million in our FY20 budget. This equates to 3.1% of our general university budget. We support the Board of Regents 5-year tuition plan – of which year one was implemented this fall. We recognize the importance of considering our resource needs holistically – tuition, state support, and the university’s responsibility to operate efficiently. For FY 2021, we are requesting $7 million in new, recurring funding for our general state appropriation to support student success. At the heart of the student experience is our people – our faculty and staff. The quality of Iowa State’s academic programs is determined by our faculty and their innovative teaching, research, and extension programs. Our faculty are working with our students every day to provide an outstanding education. And our staff are providing the critical support services. These pictures help illustrate the student experience: On the left is a photo from a Math 166 Lecture – this is an advanced calculus class. That’s Professor Heather Bolles – holding the portable white board – talking one-on-one with a group of students as they discuss things like the “applications of derivatives.” This is not an easy class – but our faculty care deeply about ensuring students fully understand the concepts. The photo on the right is of students in a second year architecture class. They’re working side-by-side with their Professor to design and build a new pavilion at Reiman Gardens – a great experiential learning opportunity for our students. Additional resources from the state are needed to recruit and retain our best and brightest… the faculty and staff who will ensure the Iowa State student experience remains exceptional. This includes the work of our faculty to conduct research that advances the curriculum so that students are learning information and concepts that are on the cutting edge of their majors and programs. Faculty research and our extension programs also support the innovation needed to generate growth and opportunities all across Iowa and support the state’s economic vitality. [Next slide]

One area where Iowa State faculty excel is the biosciences. The biosciences have been identified as a top economic sector for growth potential in Iowa. We’re asking for $3 million in recurring state resources to support Iowa State’s expertise in the bioscience platforms identified by the state in the 2017 TEConomy report. Iowa State is very grateful for the $825,000 recurring appropriation approved last year for this intiative. With those resources, we were able to begin establishing an innovation ecosystem for biobased chemicals and products. We hired a Chief Technology Officer – who is responsible for accelerating the transfer of new platform technologies to the commercial sector, and… We established a seed grant program designed to create new industry-university collaborations. Additional annual resources are needed to build off this initiative and create similar momentum within the Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics and Precision and Digital Agriculture economic development programs. [next slide]

Finally, our capital request is a 3-year request of $10 million per year for critical renovations and upgrades to LeBaron Hall. LeBaron Hall supports a number of programs in our College of Human Sciences that have experienced significant growth and are highly ranked. But the building has not been significantly renovated since its original construction in 1958. The mechanical systems are outdated, air distribution is poor, plumbing is inadequate, and electrical and data systems are limited in capacity and distribution. Accessibility in the complex is also a major concern. Infrastructure to support high-tech equipment for data collection, computing, and creative laboratory design does not exist and cannot be added due to structural limitations in the building. The new and renovated facilities will offer a contemporary learning environment that is collaborative, adaptable, experiential and technologically advanced. Iowa State is committed to raising $15 million and contributing another $10 million in university funds for this project. [next slide]