IU to lobby without director

As questions of the budget and state relations swirl through campus, the University's strongest link with the Indiana state legislature is out of the picture. \nFormer Director of State Relations Don Weaver retired in October, leaving a team of vice presidents and other experienced staff members to carry IU's relationship with the General Assembly this session.\nThe task of lobbying for IU has been shifted to several staff members in the state's capital. Associate Director of State Relations Kathy Smith-Andrew has stepped up, along with IU Spokesman Bill Stephan, Chief Financial Officer Judith Palmer, Former House Fiscal Analyst John Grew and Former Deputy Budget Director Mark Brown. \nIU President Adam Herbert assembled the group and will assume a fair amount of the lobbying himself. The group will be responsible for lobbying for the University as new bills and questions arise.\n"As (President Herbert) settles in, he will be working with more of a team approach," Stephan said. "There are a number of vice presidents with experience in the state house and staff with experience there as well. So we are trying to work in that fashion and use that experience that exists in IU to advance with the legislature."\nThe most important element for the new state relations team at IU will be establishing fresh relationships, Weaver said. The group will look to quickly build rapport with the legislators as Weaver takes his more than 40 years worth of relationships back home with him.\n"For higher education, the history has been that we need to establish good relationships and good contacts within legislation," Weaver said. "I would think that the time would be best spent building those relationships."\nAs IU stands now, all hopes are the budget will not be opened up during the upcoming session. Despite having only one month since July where IU met its forecasted financial goal, it is anticipated that the budget should remain closed, said State Rep. Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington. If it were to be opened up, the university would lose money, Weaver said.\n"At a time when the economy has stalled in Indiana, the state has made a lot of investments in higher education, and we are very appreciative that Indiana has been investing while other states are cutting," Stephan said. "Our interest is to ensure that those investments remain in tact."\nWeaver's separation from IU sends each in separate directions. IU's goals contain phrases like "cost efficiency" and "dollar stretching," but Weaver will be focusing more on volunteering at church and traveling. Either way, Weaver will certainly be missed in the upcoming months.\n"Don was respected and respectful, and he treated everyone the same," Welch said. "He is a kind, courteous man who did his job and did it well ... he will be a hard man to replace."\n-- Contact senior writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.