Vailas: ‘We realize we are challenged as a state’

Dr. Arthur Vailas, president of Idaho State University, told JFAC this morning that ISU has achieved a high honor, achieving “research university-high” status from the Carnegie Foundation. It was one of very few public universities nationally to increase its status this year, he noted. ISU also saw a 27 percent increase in its external funding in fiscal year 2010, he said, with 70 percent of that coming from federal funding, and a 17 percent increase in industry funding.

“In the budget … we know that we see a decline in appropriated dollars,” Vailas told lawmakers. “We realize that we are challenged as a state and you’re doing the best job. And I want to tell all of you from all of us, we understand. We have these challenges. We know that you also don’t want to see cuts anywhere. And we also know that you’re trying to have the best solution to try to meet the challenges of other needs for state dollars. What we’re asking is we can try to leverage that opportunity and work with you in a way that perhaps we can all benefit in certain ways. Can education help corrections? Can education help health care? Can education affect other areas that the state appropriates? Maybe we need to consider that as partners.”