While the leaders of the institutions all said during a state Board of Regents meeting Thursday that the funding would help improve their schools, Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen took a stronger stance, stressing that it was an “imperative” increase in the face of growing financial challenges.
“Iowa State is already one of the leanest and most efficiently run universities in the country,” she said. “Without an increase in state support, we will continue to be challenged to retain our excellent faculty and staff with competitive salaries.” The university also needs additional funding to update technology, clear deferred maintenance backlogs and address coronavirus costs, she added.
