From The President

President Daniel J. Bradley

Dear alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends of Indiana State University,

Maintaining affordability is one of Indiana State’s highest responsibilities as a public institution of higher education.

The issue has received much attention on both the national and statewide fronts and rightfully so. As states have struggled with the economic downturn, funding for higher education has been cut back and a greater share of the costs has been shifted to the student through increases in tuition and fees and other costs of attendance.

It is unlikely that this scenario will change. Therefore, it is paramount that public institutions look for new ways to cut costs and become more efficient while maintaining quality.

Indiana State has taken two significant steps to address this issue. On October 14, the Indiana State University Board of Trustees voted to reduce a scheduled 3.5 percent increase in in-state undergraduate student fees for fall 2012 to 1.5 percent.

I have also appointed an Affordability Task Force and charged its members with examining affordability across all areas of the university. Specifically, the task force has four subcommittees looking at these areas:

  • Books and Supplies – This subcommittee will explore the potential of electronic textbooks, expanded textbook rental programs and other methods of controlling the costs of instructional materials and supplies.
  • Facilities, Services and Administrative Structure – This group is exploring such areas as space utilization, cost of facilities maintenance, utilities expenses, services provided by the university and administrative structure.
  • Housing and Dining – This subcommittee will look into the costs student incur for housing and food, including the continuation of the university’s plan to upgrade student housing while keeping it affordable.
  • Instruction – This group will review instructional delivery modes, class sizes, use of part-time and special purpose faculty, faculty productivity levels and other issues impacting the cost of instruction.

The subcommittees include representatives from the Faculty Senate, Staff Council and Student Government Association as well as individuals with expertise related to these areas.

I have asked these subcommittees to consider any possible means of controlling costs while maintaining quality. While it would be wonderful to find quick changes that generate significant savings overnight, most of our efforts will need to be more long-term and systemic in nature. Consistent, incremental changes will make a difference over time, and the compounding effect can be dramatic.

The reports and recommendations from the subcommittees are due to the Task Force Steering Committee by mid-January. The Steering Committee includes the subcommittee chairs, leadership of the university’s governance groups and the university’s vice presidents.

The Steering Committee will review these reports and make recommendations on the initiatives that can be implemented immediately, those that can be incorporated into long-term planning and those that need further review before implementing.

This will not be an easy challenge to meet, but I am confident that the task force will uncover some options that will have a meaningful impact.

Updates on the work of the subcommittees are available at: www.indstate.edu/affordability. If your company or organization has found ways to address affordability that might be relevant to higher education, please consider sending them to president@indstate.edu for our consideration.

This is an exciting and challenging time for Indiana State and our sister institutions. The ability to provide a quality higher educational experience at an affordable cost is instrumental to our future. It is also essential to advancing the state and national goals of improving the education level of our workforce and maintaining the leadership role the United States has in the worldwide economy.

Indiana State is committed to working with the state’s leaders to address this issue.

Sincerely,

Daniel J. Bradley

President