University President Gregory Geoffroy "presented a previously unannounced plan to the Iowa Board of Regents ... without public input and just hours after the Legislature adjourned," writes Jay Howe, field editor of the Adair County Free Press. "Surprisingly, the regents OK'd the restructuring plan as a done deal without taking opportunity to gauge public views on it. Is this a model of how ISU Extension has sought to foster the process of engaging the public in making serious public-policy decisions?"

Regent Michael Gartner, former editor of the Register and other papers, asked why more director positions weren't cut. Geoffroy said, "We did consider going to 10 directors, but decided that would be too much territory to cover." He said each director would oversee an average of about five counties and spend about a day a week in each county.
Minnesota made similar changes five years ago, and other states are doing likewise as the recession forces states and universitis to cut budgets. Ralph Otto, an associate extension administrator in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told teh Register, "I hope that we survive this and come out more resilient than before. I say that with a certain amount of emptiness, because it doesn't help the folks right now who are having to do so much." (Read more) For the university's detailed explanation of its budget-cutting plan, click here.
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