Bob Mercer notes that the Board of Regents is discussing several new and challenging goals for South Dakota's public university system. Among the four goals for 2020 is "Increase annual system research and contract expenditures to $150 million by 2020 to advance knowledge, enhance technology transfer, commercialization, and catalyze economic development."
If the Regents approve that goal, Dakota State University will have to play catch up. This spring, among the series of sackings ordered by interim-turned-permanent president David Borofsky, Dakota State University ousted its head of Sponsored Programs, the person who helps faculty identify, apply for, and manage research grants. My friend Mickie Kriedler did that job for several years and helped bring ten million dollars to campus, including the over six million federal dollars that created HealthPoint, which helped Annette Bosworth stay in business.
In a higher education environment where research funded by outside money instead of local tuition and tax dollars is the holy grail, I don't know what performance measures would outweigh ten million dollars. But whatever the case, DSU decided to shed success and experience and do without a grants coordinator all summer.
The job was posted on the SDBOR employment website on July 22 and remains open. How long it will take the Regents to attract a new go-getter to Madison is anyone's guess. But if the Regents are about to make going and getting research dollars an even higher priority, Dakota State University had bette speed up the search and fill that vital gap in its capabilities.
I hear Joop's a go-getter with some experience in public/private partnerships!
He only works on commission.
@pierremercer 1m
BREAKING: Dakota State University David Borofsky has given his resignation. Board of Regents accepts. Maryz Rames named interim president.
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/latest/dakota-state-university-president-resigns/article_20d4329f-8468-5a0a-9647-31a58cf26640.html
Larry beat me to it.
Wonder if he was forced out because of some decisions he made recently?
I just heard about his resignation on the local news. (I'm in SD now.) News people said no other information was available to them. Does anyone think the BOR is going to come clean and tell the people of SD, whose tax dollars keep the school operating, what is going on?
Sorry, I realized I was talking about SD.
DSU = Dead Students University. Meaning that DSU might dying bit by bit?
But the regents will try to keep it afloat until all the money can be squeezed out of it is done.
Joop Bollen for DSU grants coordinator... ah! He could come to Madison and build his rental portfolio by buying the apartment complex that Richard Benda got the county to help build.
Cory, state funded research is corporate welfare. Why are you promoting crony capitalism? Here is the latest in South Dakota crony capitalism:
PIERRE — Two business projects deserve large awards of money from state government because they made large investments in South Dakota, the state Board of Economic Development decided Tuesday.
Day County Wind II will get a reinvestment payment of $4,419,600. The board limited the amount to a maximum 75 percent of the state sales and use tax paid on eligible project costs.
http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/content/two-business-projects-get-large-incentives-state-0
There goes $4 million that could have gone to teacher pay.
You do raise an interesting point Steve. Do the Sales and Use Tax and Contractor's Excise Tax rebates issued to large projects in SD help get projects built that would otherwise never happen? If these projects wouldn't happen without those rebates are they on such shaky ground that that no right minded capitalist would invest in those projects without the incentives? If a project is going to be built no matter what, Keystone 1 Pipeline comes to mind, does it need a tax incentive?
Would the tax money not rebated, if this program did not exist, go to education? I have my doubts, but it would remain in state coffers provided the project was built without the incentive to private business.
I'm an assistant professor at DSU, and Mickie was extremely helpful to me in securing grant funds during her time at the university. Last week, SD EPSCoR announced the 5-year, $20 million dollar federally-funded grant from the NSF. Mickie worked very hard on DSU's portion of that grant proposal, and I will be PI on the $750,000 DSU will receive over the next 5 years. Mickie deserves ALL the credit for securing those grant funds for DSU. I will sorely miss having her on campus.