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Kustra sets agenda with State of the University speech
Bob Beers, Managing Editor
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Last week Bob Kustra, president of the University, gave his State of the University Speech. The speech was a lot of things and boring was not one of them.
There were Four issues Kustra highlighted in his speech that resonated loudest through the halls of The Arbiter.
One aspect Kustra focused upon was the the development of new Ph.D. programs.
“Specifically, our goal is to add three in the next three years, in bio-molecular sciences, economics and public policy,” Kustra said. “I have asked Provost Sona Andrews to make this a reality and plan to keep this at the top of my priority list in the coming year.”
The workforce is flooded with record numbers of potential employees brandishing undergraduate degrees. According to census.gov, more than 20 percent of U.S. citizens 25 years and older have a bachelors degree. The most recent census says 7.1 percent of Idahoans 25 years and older have a graduate degree. The figure puts Idaho tied for 41st in the nation with Tennessee. The new graduate programs should help raise the figure and strengthen its status among universities in the west.
Adjustments have been made to the Healthcare policies offered to BSU’s faculty. Members of the faculty who work fewer than 27 hours a week will face a 40 percent increase in their rates. Faculty members who work 27 to 36 hours a week will see a 20 percent increase in their rates.
“It’s not fair that this Faustian bargain that’s gone awry should land in the laps of our most vulnerable citizens,” Kustra said. “Those part-timers are our custodians, lab-techs, office specialists, those are the folks who are going to talk. I know I’m supposed to be skilled at politics, knowing what to say and when to say it, but no one should remain silent in the face of this injustice.”
Kustra said the health benefits formerly offered by BSU that helped bring faculty members to the university, not the salary.
“Ironic that in this world that we love we dress up in blue and orange. We ask how things are going with the team and are we going to beat Oregon,” Kustra said. “How is the lab-tech going to handle the 40 percent increase? Will he drop his coverage? Those are the questions we should be asking. Not how the football team is doing.”
The issue of healthcare appears to be a significant element of the up-coming year. Kustra also discussed enrollment rates at Boise State, which have continued their positive trend.
“Thus far, graduate student enrollment is up 6.8 percent and first time, degree seeking student admissions are up almost 4 percent. Final information and figures will be available on the 10th day of the semester. It also bears mentioning that our summer session enrollment was up 10 percent,” Kustra said.
Despite a struggling economy, Boise State has been able to sustain its streak of consecutive years with an increase in enrollment. From 2000 to 2009, every year has seen an increase in the total number of enrolled students at BSU. The most recent mark of 18,963 students enrolled in the Spring semester of 2009, makes BSU the largest four-year university in Idaho.
Helping the enrollment rates is the increased attention being paid to research. The end of the fiscal year 2009 showed a 32 percent increase in research awards and sponsored projects. According to Kustra, the research program at BSU is the fastest growing program in the state. Going back to the year 2000, BSU has seen its research funding double from that time to the present year.
An example of the research being conducted at Boise State includes the $2,397,994 million and $1,247,005 million grants for the development of three-dimensional technology in advanced sensor systems for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Centers.
Between advanced degree opportunities, increased enrollment and a strong research program, BSU is well on its way to becoming the research university of distinction it has been working toward.
Is Bob Beers aware that "$2,397,994 million" is quite a larger number than $2,397,994?
Is the Arbiter's copy editor aware that randomly capitalizing words ("Four", "Spring". "Healthcare policies") in the middle of sentences went out the window with ye Kings Olde English?