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Consultants Offer Board of Regents More Cost-Saving Suggestions

bruce rastetter
Amy Mayer/IPR
Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter says saving money is critical for keeping tuition from increasing.

The Iowa Board of Regents has several new proposals to consider in its effort to save money across the three state university campuses.

At a meeting in Ames Thursday, the consulting firm Deloitte presented its recommendations for cost-saving measures in human resources, information technology, energy consumption and other areas.

“I’ve always believed if you’re wasting money you should stop wasting money. I would guess you do that in your personal checkbook,” says Board of Regents president Bruce Rastetter. “So, clearly, what this is about is transformation. And it’s about using innovation and technology to do things at a lower cost.”

Rastetter says every possibility should be on the table. Deloitte has been working with the three universities as it develops its suggestions for energy conservation and consolidation of services. The Deloitte team director, Rick Ferraro, applauds Iowa for being proactive.

“Higher education is one of the highest cost-increasing industries in the US. So this is a nationwide issue,” Ferraro says. “What is unique is that Iowa is taking a step ahead of the game, saying, `how are we going to get ahead of this and figure out a solution that makes us become more efficient?’”

The board will hold meetings on each of the university campuses in the coming weeks, before deciding whether to implement any of the suggestions from Deloitte. 

Among the ideas presented:

  • adjusting thermostats in classroom buildings during summer evenings and nights;
  • making some information technology services campus-wide;
  • eliminating repetition in jobs, such as not having multiple people in a college handle aspects of human resources. 

Amy Mayer is a reporter based in Ames