The University of Delaware asked for $1.3 million over the governor's proposed FY 2002 state appropriation of $$110.7 million, at a meeting of the Joint Finance Committee Feb. 14 in Dover. Making the case for the University, President David P. Roselle said, "It is our firm conviction that each of our requests is essential for the University to serve the broadest range of needs of the citizens of Delaware."
He noted that the University has diversified its sources of revenue over the last 10 years, enabling it to keep tuition increases, particularly for Delaware residents, on track with the Consumer Price Index. "Our ability to contain tuition costs has been due, in no small part, to our successful partnership with the state and its support of the state's first University."
Roselle told the legislators of a special project under way on the campus–the installation of sprinklers in campus residence halls. In light of last year's fire at Seton Hall University, Roselle said, "We have decided to move ahead more quickly with a plan to fully sprinkle all UD residence hall spaces by the fall of 2004."
Currently, 38 percent of residence hall spaces are sprinkled, he said, and all residence hall buildings have smoke detection systems and are fully in compliance with fire codes.
"We are confident that the current level of fire readiness in our dormitories will be sufficient during the interim period," he said.
The cost of the project–$9 million–will be borrowed and then repaid from residence hall fees. "Should the state adopt a program to assist institutions with the cost of sprinkler installation, I hope the University may participate and not be penalized for taking this initiative on its own," Roselle said.
In detailing UD's request, the president talked about $502,000 in additional support for items supported in the governor's budget, including:
- scholarships for study abroad, specifically targeted at Delaware resident undergraduates;
- computer-aided instruction in engineering, to acquire the latest in instructional technology in computer laboratories dedicated to teaching engineering;
- hiring of a poultry science engineer in Cooperative Extension;
- additional public service assistantships for graduate and undergraduate students in the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy's public service and applied research centers;
- computer software licenses, which are key to the University's forthcoming implementation of PeopleSoft's human resources software;
- the first installment toward permanent funding of the College of Business and Economics' Center for Corporate Governance, which studies the linkages between structure, governance and performance and provides a forum for business leaders, members of corporate boards, corporate legal scholars and practitioners, jurists, economists, graduates and undergraduate students and others interested in corporate governance issues;
- an additional women's assistant coaching position to continue UD's record of continuous improvement in meeting the requirements of Title IX; and
- professional development opportunities for middle-school teachers in core content areas and research on models of classroom organization and teaching.
Roselle also asked consideration for several other items, totaling $850,000, for which no funds were allotted in the governor's budget, specifically supporting:
- the Poultry Disease Research special line to upgrade diagnostic and research capabilities for diseases affecting the state's poultry industry;
- the Delaware Education Research and Development Center, which is an important state asset for supporting the education improvement effort;
- the Agricultural Environmental Quality special line to support a new position in land use and soil mapping;
- the Agricultural Experiment Station, to maintain its current level of activity;
- the Sea Grant special line to provide continuity in the work done by Marine Advisory Service agents/specialists;
- leadership education and service learning programs in the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy;
- historic preservation research and public services carried out by the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy's Center for Historic Architecture and Design; and
- new faculty positions and teaching assistantships in support of a new instructional program that fosters technology-enriched, discovery- and problem-based learning in the College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy.
