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Contact: Ray Sanders, Associate Vice President for
Technical and Sponsored Programs - 208/792-2225
President and AVP Head to
Washington
in Search of Funding
Lewis-Clark State President Dene Thomas and Associate Vice President for Technical and
Sponsored Programs Ray Sanders are in the nation's capitol this week, pursuing funding for
college programs. The two are presenting three appropriations requests to the Idaho
delegation in Washington D.C.
Lewis-Clark State and other higher education institutions in the state have been hard-hit
by a series of budget holdbacks that started last year. Earlier this month, Idaho Governor
Dirk Kempthorne announced his recommendation for a fiscal year 2003 holdback of nearly 11%
for Idaho colleges and universities. The state legislature has yet to take action
regarding the final holdback amount, and administrators are still working without an
official number.
Thomas and Sanders didn't waste any time, heading out over the weekend. Thomas left on the
heels of a busy week that included sessions with legislators in Boise and a presentation
to the state's Joint Finance/Appropriations Committee, followed by meetings in Lewiston
with impassioned supporters of the rodeo and theater programs-marked for cuts as a result
of the college's dramatically reduced budget.
Undaunted by the hectic pace, Thomas left work Friday prepared to board a Saturday flight
for the next stop in a tour to present her case for supporting college programs and
activities. She and Sanders will present three projects to Senators Larry Craig and Mike
Crapo, and Representative Butch Otter. Sanders explained, "These people can be
instrumental in finding earmarked funds to support our projects here."
Thomas described the trip as being an example of the college "pushing hard to secure
funding wherever and whenever we can." Without funding from other-than-state sources,
it's unlikely that the college would be able to implement new projects or expand on
existing ones, no matter what their value might be, she remarked. "We need to look
for new avenues to secure funding. The money to do what we want to do-what we need to
do-just isn't here right now," she said.
The three projects Thomas and Sanders are presenting include:
- Phase III of development of the Idaho Virtual Incubator Project. The IVI project has
provided marketing and business planning, along with expertise in e-commerce, to help
rural business owners capture a larger market share. The IVI has recently worked to
develop a manufacturing alliance, where small businesses can partner with others to pursue
large government contracts or supply purchasing transactions. The third phase would fund
localized "fulfillment centers." The centers would be physical locations where
finished products could be stored, ready for packaging and shipping, and responsibilities
for overhead expenses, operations and employees could be shared.
- Construction of a Skid Pad Facility to allow driver safety training in a safe,
controlled environment. Training would include control of vehicles under adverse driving
conditions, including hazardous weather/road conditions and equipment failure. The skid
pad would accommodate semi-trucks, trailers and provide training to law enforcement
officials, school bus drivers and high school driver education classes.
- Establishing a Digital Video Site Survey Center. The facility would serve as a national
center to provide state and federal agencies with tools to monitor and protect sensitive
cultural, historical and natural treasures through the use of digital videography. The
college has already assisted in a site survey for the Nez Perce National Historical Park,
chronicling over 30 significant sites across the Pacific Northwest. The technology
documents existing historic, cultural, geologic, and vegetative resources and can be used
to monitor change over time.
Sanders was enthusiastic about presenting the LCSC projects to federal decision makers:
"We're unique in our collaboration with all kinds of agencies, government and private
entities. We provide leadership and a strong base for networking-very important tools in a
rural state with a relatively small population."
For more information on the Idaho Virtual Incubator, contact: Lou Ann Vanhorn,
208/792-2097; lvanhorn@lcsc.edu. Skid Pad Facility: Randy Martin, 208/792-2439;
rmartin@lcsc.edu. Digital Site Survey: Sean Cassidy, 208/792-2284 scassidy@lcsc.edu.
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