Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about things changing and things staying the same. Some things seem remarkably stable around the University of Iowa. For example, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the opening of Currier Hall this year, and can probably look forward to another 100 years of service from the building. In contrast, President Mason has announced that she will retire this summer after serving eight years as president of the University of Iowa. We wish her well in retirement.

Here’s something else that has changed: the shape (and size, but let’s focus on shape) of the university budget. The budget is a complex creature, but we can simplify things by focusing on a key part of the budget, the General Fund. This is the portion of the budget that pays for the faculty members who teach our students, the operations and maintenance of the buildings in which classes are held, and a host of other expenses directly related to students’ education.

About 61% of the General Fund comes from tuition and fees. Another 33% comes from state appropriations, with the rest coming from “indirect cost recoveries and other.” Back in the 1970s (my era), those portions were reversed, with something like 65% of the General Fund coming from state appropriations. Over time, Iowa, like nearly all states, has been less and less able to provide appropriations to support higher education. One unfortunate result has been an increase in the tuition we have to charge our students.

But there’s a brighter side to the story as well. For the last few years, we’ve taken the opportunity in April to celebrate “Phil’s Day.” Phil is philanthropy, and philanthropy has taken on a larger and larger role in supporting what we do here at the University of Iowa. Last year, for the first time, donors actually donated more to the university than the state appropriated. Don’t get me wrong. State appropriations are still an essential element of our budget, and the Regents have asked for a modest increase this year to support a tuition freeze. I hope the legislature honors that request.

But I also celebrate the many alumni and friends who have helped us in our current comprehensive campaign. We have raised $1.45 billion toward our goal of $1.7 billion. Donors give to the university for a lot of reasons. Often, they give in gratitude for the ways that their experience at the University of Iowa transformed them. Sometimes, they give because they would like to see change in the world and think that a program at the University of Iowa will help make that change happen. If you would like to learn more about making a gift to the university, please visit givetoiowa.org, or be in touch with me.

Now, back to how things are changing. It’s hard to believe, but two mainstays of student life at Iowa will be leaving in June. Belinda Marner will retire after 40 years of dedicated service. She has been an unfailing advocate for students, and the expert on how things work around here. It’s going to be strange to not be able to say, “Let’s ask Belinda.” In addition, David Grady has been appointed Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Alabama. I’m proud of the many things that David has accomplished here at Iowa and confident in the leadership he’ll provide at Alabama. They got a good one. I hope you’ll join me in thanking both Belinda and David for their service to the students at Iowa.

I always enjoy hearing from our former student leaders at thomas-rocklin@uiowa.edu.