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Minority Graduation Rates Stationary At State Colleges

UI Officials: Low Pay Causing Faculty Exodus

State Auditor Collecting Data on Hospital's Computer Access

[Note: This material is copyright by The Gazette, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of The Gazette.]

  AMES — Iowa’s state universities must find better ways to retain minority students and help them graduate, members of the state Board of Regents said Tuesday.
  The six- year graduation rates of minority students remain below the rates of white students at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa, according to an annual report on retention and graduation presented at a regents meeting in Ames.
  Regent Teresa Wahlert of Waukee said the lower graduation rates of minority students were a concern she raised last year, and the lack of progress is alarming. Wahlert said she knows the universities are working hard on the issue and have initiatives in place to address it, but she wondered if outside help from a national expert is the next necessary step.
  ‘‘My concern is elevated a little since last year because I don’t see really what I would call systematic progress,’’ she said. ‘‘I just feel like the data says ‘ try something you haven’t tried.’ ’’ UI Provost Mike Hogan suggested the provosts from the three universities form a task force to share ideas, compare to peer institutions and research successful models at other schools. The other provosts agreed; they will report back next fall.
  Minority students in 2006 had six-year graduation rates of 54.9 percent at the UI, 55.2 percent at ISU and 51.2 percent at UNI. Those compare to graduation rates for white students of 66.7 percent at the UI, 67.1 percent at ISU and 67.9 percent at UNI.
  Officials at the three universities said it’s a gap many schools struggle with nationally. The three schools have scholarship, tutoring or mentoring programs in place to try to address it. Reasons for losing minority students prior to graduation include lack of financial support, issues with acclimating to campuses in Iowa for students from out of state and cultural differences, officials said.
  Since programs that are increasing the retention and graduation rates among white students are not translating to minority populations, it’s possible more programming specifically aimed at minority students is needed, Regent Mary Ellen Becker of Oskaloosa said. Regents President Michael Gartner of Des Moines said since minority athletes tend to have higher graduation rates than minority students who aren’t athletes, some of the more nurturing programs that athletic departments use should be embraced campuswide.
  The one-year retention and six- year graduation rates overall at the three universities are above national averages.

  AMES — One of the top reasons faculty resign from the University of Iowa is low salaries, when compared to peer institutions, Provost Mike Hogan told the state Board of Regents on Tuesday. The UI ranked ninth in its 11- member peer group in 2005-06 with an average faculty salary of $84,400, Hogan said. That’s an improvement from previous years, when the UI ranked last. The UI has moved up three spots through re- allocation, putting about $8 million into salaries each of the past three years, he said.
  If the Legislature approves Gov. Chet Culver’s proposed higher education budget this year, the UI could climb three more spots to sixth in its peer group, Hogan said. That would be huge, he said.
  ‘‘To a large extent that should remove compensation as a reason why our faculty leave,’’ he said.
  The regents met Tuesday in Ames and heard the annual human resources report, which included information about average faculty salaries and faculty resignations at the UI, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa.
  They had little comment on the report. Regent Rose Vasquez of Des Moines said, though, the report helps them realize the impact salaries are having.
  At the three universities, 159 faculty resigned in 2005-06, up 17 from the prior year. That’s a 12 percent increase.
  The resignations include only faculty members who were tenured, tenure track or clinical track. At the UI, resignations increased from 77 to 89, or 15.6 percent, from 2004-05 to 2005-06. That’s a faculty turnover rate of about 4.3 percent.
  At ISU, faculty resignations increased from 37 to 48, or 29.7 percent, for a faculty turnover rate of 3.5 percent. At UNI, resignations decreased from 28 to 22, a decline of 21.4 percent, for a turnover rate of 3.7 percent. Hogan said noncompetitive salary is one of the top three reasons given by faculty who leave. The UI has initiatives in place to address other reasons, including personal and family reasons, he said.
  For example, the UI is adjusting its tenure timetables for faculty in ways that positively impact the gender balance of tenured faculty, he said. ‘‘We’re doing a number of things that I think will address both the salary part and the family issues part,’’ Hogan said.

  AMES — The state auditor has met with University of Iowa officials about a computer security incident at University Hospitals, though he didn’t know when his report on the incident would be completed.
  State Auditor David Vaudt told the state Board of Regents, meeting Tuesday in Ames, that he has had several meetings to gather information and plans to hold several more in the coming weeks.
  Regent Teresa Wahlert of Waukee said she thinks the audit of this particular situation will yield lessons for general technology security and audits.
  Vaudt is auditing security access to University Hospitals’ computer and information systems at the request of UI Interim President Gary Fethke. The move follows word in December that an employee inappropriately used information or technology resources at the hospital. The audit includes a look at controls over access and the proper use of non-patient information by hospital employees.