Herbert asks for state funds

IU President Adam Herbert appeared before the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee Tuesday in Indianapolis to present his request for IU's new budget.\nPresident Herbert asked the committee, a group of 25 state legislators who write the budget presented to the General Assembly, to allocate about $1 billion for the University. The proposal would represent an $80 million increase from the current budget in state funds.\nBut House Ways and Means Budget Chair Larry Buell said though Herbert's presentation was "very good," the state budget is stretched too tight to comply fully with Herbert's request. He said the committee would probably not approve the proposal "to the extent that (Herbert) made the request, but not because of an inadequacy of his proposal, but a shortage of funds at the state level."\nBuell said when presenters appear before the committee rather than just submit a written proposal, "it makes the budget come alive." He also commended Herbert, as president of the University, for showing up in person.\n"I think, of course, it's always best to hear it from the chief officer of any organization," Buell said. "He, after all, is the ultimate spokesperson for the University."\nHerbert's request is the same he made in October to the State Budget Committee. That committee's goal was to make a budget recommendation to the governor, who in turn would make a recommendation to state legislators. \nBut the House Ways and Means Committee will produce an actual budget to present to Indiana's House of Representatives. Once the budget is debated and revised by both houses of the Indiana General Assembly, a final working budget will be in place.\nBut Director of IU Media Relations Larry MacIntyre said he and Herbert's administration are not expecting a final budget until mid-April at the earliest.\n"This is the next step," he said. "But the debate in the legislature is really just getting under way."\nMacIntyre said Tuesday's presentation was Herbert's way of personalizing and outlining IU's future direction.\n"This morning wasn't about numbers," he said. "It was the president spelling out his strategic priorities and how he intends to get there."\nIn a press release, Herbert cited campus repair projects and the support of research as reasons behind the requested $80 million in increased funding.\n"We are developing national and international pre-eminence in a number of areas," Herbert said. "My vision for IU is to become one of the nation's top five centers for cancer research, diagnosis and treatment." \nAccording to the press release, state funding accounts for just 25 percent of the University's annual $2.1 billion budget. Indiana's state budget is apportioned in two-year chunks, corresponding to the term lengths of Representatives.\n-- Contact Senior Writer Rick Newkirk at renewkir@indiana.edu.