Dear Alliance Members:

Thank you for agreeing to help us reach out to Iowa legislators on behalf of Iowa State University. This year, our focus will be on encouraging state leaders to fund the bold and very well thought out plan for ensuring the excellence of our Regents universities: The Partnership for Transformation and Excellence.

This plan, as you know, seeks an increase of $40 million in state funding in each of the next four years for the three public universities. This four-year plan will also require the Regents universities to collectively reallocate $20 million per year toward the highest priority programs and services. If the state funding request is fully funded, the Board of Regents has committed to limiting tuition increases to no more than the Higher Education Price Index, which this year is 4 percent. Tuition has increased rapidly at the Regents institutions in the past four years as a result of dramatic cuts in state funding. Average tuition at the Regents institutions now ranks 24th in the nation, while per capita income in Iowa ranks only 33rd.

Again, thank you for doing your part by calling, e-mailing, personally speaking with, and meeting with your local legislators about this plan. Let them know that you support this plan and you encourage them to vote yes on it when it is time.

Sincerely,

Mick Guttau '69