President seeks increased research, scholarship funding

UD President David Roselle (left) addresses members of the Joint Finance Committee of the Delaware General Assembly in Dover.

11:51 a.m., Feb. 17, 2005--University of Delaware President David P. Roselle asked state lawmakers Tuesday, Feb. 15, to consider providing full support for UD budget request items submitted to Gov. Ruth Ann Minner’s staff in November. The funding would be used to address scholarship, research and information technology needs.

“We have carefully reviewed the governor’s recommended budget, and we are appreciative of the support from the executive branch on many of the items for which we requested funding last November,” Roselle said. “At the same time, however, the governor’s recommendations fall short on a number of items that we feel are crucial to serving our students and the citizens of Delaware and the region.”

Roselle’s comments were made while presenting UD’s FY2006 state operating budget to members of the Joint Finance Committee of the Delaware General Assembly in Dover.

Full support by state legislators for its budget requests, Roselle said, would allow UD to maintain its position as one of America’s top educational institutions. Roselle said full funding also would aid UD’s efforts to improve the quality of life for Delaware residents through a number of popular community programming initiatives.

Before addressing specific budget items, Roselle highlighted major UD accomplishments during the past year, which included:

The opening of UD’s Early Learning Center, a model child care facility;
Admission of the first group of students pursuing the Associate of Arts degree through a program jointly developed by UD and Delaware Technical and Community College;
UD being singled out by The Chronicle of Higher Education as an institution dedicated to maintaining and preserving its campus buildings and grounds in contrast to deteriorating facilities at other colleges and universities nationwide;
The renovation of Mechanical Hall that serves as the new home of the Paul R. Jones Collection of African American art, widely acknowledged as the most important collection of African American art in America;
UD’s ranking sixth nationally for the graduation rate of its African American students and its rating by The Scientist magazine as sixth among the nation’s best 10 places to conduct life sciences research; and
The completion of The Campaign for Delaware, with UD raising approximately $200 million more than the initial goal of $225 million. A celebration for the completion of The Campaign will be held in May at the Bob Carpenter Center.

“We are proud of our accomplishments. We are especially pleased with the Early Learning Center and Associate in Arts initiatives, which help expand educational opportunities for Delaware residents at both ends of the schooling spectrum,” Roselle said. “These efforts are the fruition of the partnership that we have built between the University and the state with a solitary object in mind--service to the citizens of Delaware.”

Decreased federal funding for student loans

While citing the success of several initiatives that resulted from a partnership between the state and UD, Roselle addressed potential budget challenges, including the likelihood of decreased federal financing of student loans through Pell grants.

Federal Pell grants, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. As a rule, Pell grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not already earned a bachelor's or professional degree. In some cases, a qualified individual may receive a Pell grant for attending a postbaccalaureate teacher certificate program.

“I must take a moment to alert you to changes in Washington that will once again test the resolve of our partnership,” Roselle said. “There are warnings of changes in federal financial aid guidelines that will result in 1.3 million students receiving smaller Pell Grants, the nation’s primary scholarship for low-income students. It is believed that more than 89,000 students currently getting some Pell money will be zeroed out under the new guidelines.”

In noting that Delaware is predicted to be among the seven states hit hardest by the estimated reductions, Roselle recalled the progress made over the years by the University and the state in reducing unmet financial need for state residents.

“From FY 1990 to FY 2006, state funding for these scholarships increased from $3.9 million to $7.3 million, while UD-administered funds increased from $4.5 to $33.8 million, due in no small measure to The Campaign for Delaware,” Roselle said. “However, an important component of University-administered financial aid has been Pell Grant funding. To the extent that these funds to Delaware residents are reduced, it will be more difficult for the state and the University to make certain that no qualified Delaware resident student is denied a college education because of inability to pay for that education.”

Roselle also said that finding ways to continue such financial assistance would be among the issues addressed by UD in its FY2007 budget requests.

FY 2006 operating budget requests

Roselle said that while most of UD’s requested amounts for scholarships were approved, a scholarships special line budget request supporting student athletes who compete in intercollegiate sports was excluded from the governor’s recommendations for FY 2006.

“The requested amount of $237,000 includes the normal inflationary increase and also includes $98,000 that was not appropriated to this line in FY 2003, as well as an additional $50,000 to support increased costs for books and supplies,” Roselle said. “UD supports 23 intercollegiate sports, and our scholar-athletes not only perform well on the field, their graduation rate actually exceeds that of the general student body.”

UD also is seeking increased state support for the Associate in Arts degree, Roselle said.

“In FY 2005, the state provided $51,500 for this special line, which was used to fund salary and benefits for one academic adviser,” Roselle said. “The current request for $220,000 will enable us to fully fund that individual, and acquire a second academic adviser, a writing specialist and a mathematics specialist, and will provide operating support for locations in Wilmington, Dover and Georgetown.”

Roselle said the University also seeks continued funding for its Early Learning Center, which opened in June. The center provides infant, toddler and preschool care to a diverse population of more than 160 children, with model before- and after-school care to an additional 75 children.

“The state provided $200,000 for this important initiative in FY 2005, which is used for teacher salary and benefit support for the approximately 50 teachers at issue,” Roselle said. “The current request of $200,000 will be used to support service programs for children and their families and professional development training for early care and education providers.”

The University also requested $200,000 for undergraduate and graduate service-learning scholarships, Roselle said.

Service learning exposes students to the needs of the larger society. The program also engages students in addressing those needs through community service and connects what students learn in the classroom with real-world conditions.

“Funding for service-learning scholarships will give highly motivated students the opportunity to pursue an individual project for 10 weeks in the summer in a setting outside of the classroom under the guidance of a faculty mentor,” Roselle said. “In the chosen setting, students learn about themselves within the world, learn what their particular gifts are and how these gifts intersect with the needs of the world.”

Poultry health and production research

Noting that the value of the Delmarva poultry industry exceeds $1.5 billion and is a cornerstone of Delaware’s economy, Roselle asked lawmakers to fully fund a request of $500,000 for poultry health and production research. The governor’s budget recommendation is for $300,000.

Roselle also reminded legislators of the role of UD researchers and staff in averting an outbreak of avian influenza last year that could have devastated the poultry industry and said that requested funds will help UD to meet the increasing demand for research and diagnostic services in this key economic sector.

“As we know from the most recent such outbreak, quick diagnosis and follow-through are essential in control of losses,” Roselle said. “We want to be ready to react quickly, and your support is a necessary aspect of our being prepared to do so.”

UD also is seeking an additional $70,000 for soil testing and pesticide control to help meet the statewide demand for pest management, Roselle said. The requested amount would provide for an additional Cooperative Extension agent to serve in leadership and support roles for educational programs related to ornamental horticulture, Roselle said.

“This individual would work with the commercial horticulture industry and would provide information for Cooperative Extension horticulture programs, including reference materials for county offices and Master Gardener programs,” Roselle said. “This position addresses the needs of a growing and increasingly important ‘green industry’ as a part of Delaware’s agriculture, while supporting educational programs directed to thousands of Delaware homeowners and citizens who turn to Cooperative Extension expertise when looking for factual information related to their home and grounds.”

Computer/technology requests

To continue its support of the Information Technology Initiative established by the state in 1998, UD is requesting $300,000 in additional funding.

While UD’s Lerner College of Business and Economics has met the original goals of the plan through state support and additional UD resources, Roselle said there also has been an increased demand for information technology-related courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

“The increased demand for management information systems classes from MBA students with an information technology concentration and the anticipated growth in the master’s program in information science and technology management will require additional graduate sections to be added to sustain this program,” Roselle said. “In addition, as the first class of bachelor of science in management information systems students reach their junior and senior years, the college needs to allocate resources back to the undergraduate program and to add undergraduate management information systems electives.”

UD also requested $150,000 to acquire and maintain the latest in computing technology in teaching laboratories in engineering.

Goals for the initiative include providing the most current software, particularly in the areas of mathematical modeling, simulation and problem-solving, Roselle said.

“Over the past 10 years, the University has invested significant resources in instructional technology, and consistently enjoys national accolades from educational and technological professional associations,” Roselle said. “In order to maintain this level of excellence and to preserve the University’s national pre-eminence in engineering instruction, state-of-the art computing is crucial. The state’s contribution in assisting the University to expand its computer hardware and software refreshment program to engineering computer laboratories will significantly aid us in achieving this objective.”

Roselle told lawmakers that over the past several years UD also has spent more than $15 million on administrative system upgrades such as PeopleSoft human resources and financial software, and is about to implement a PeopleSoft student information system.

“Each of these vendors charges an annual licensing fee for the use of their products, and these licensing fees have increased substantially,” Roselle said. “The requested funds in the amount of $150,000 represent the inflationary increases associated with these licensing fees.”

In concluding, Roselle told lawmakers that the University, in preparing its operating budget to the state, seeks to identify the appropriate resources needed to provide the highest level of service to the students and citizens of the First State.

“In developing that assessment, the University first commits its own resources, then requests assistance from the state for any shortfall in total resources required,” Roselle said. “We ask that, as the current economic climate and revenue streams in Delaware continue to improve, you give careful consideration to fully funding as many of these important requests as possible.”

Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photo by Kathy Atkinson

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