[NHCOLL-L:2114] University of Iowa Herbarium - Update

[Diana Horton]

The Decision to Transfer the University of Iowa Herbarium
To Iowa State:  The Facts

SYNOPSIS

         The University of Iowa Herbarium was established by 1869, if not 
earlier, after the Iowa General Assembly mandated that the University would 
make, maintain and exhibit a Cabinet of Natural History, which later became 
the Museum of Natural History.  The Herbarium was the first in the state 
and its development reflects the efforts of generations of Iowa scholars, 
including Thomas Huston Macbride, Bohumil Shimek, Henry Conard and Robert 
Thorne.  The collection is comprised of approximately 250,000 dried and 
fossil plant specimens from all over the world, but the primary focus is 
Iowa and North America.  It houses the only major collections of bryophytes 
and plant fossils in the state.

         In December 2001, University of Iowa Dean Maxson decided to 
transfer the Herbarium to Iowa State University.  Since then, a diverse 
group of faculty, staff, students and the public have fought this decision, 
internally initially and more recently in public.  Our strenuous efforts to 
stop the transfer continue and we again solicit letters of support -- with 
particular gratitude to those who already have written! -- to President 
Skorton at david-skorton at uiowa.edu, with a copy to me at 
diana-horton at uiowa.edu.  Your letters are an effective tool to promote our 
cause.  They empower us!

Recently, under the Freedom of Information Act, we have accessed letters 
and statements concerning the Herbarium by three University of Iowa 
administrators.  These documents contain, whether purposefully or not, 
inaccuracies, misrepresentations and distortions, and we believe that some 
or all of these documents have been provided to the National Science 
Foundation (NSF).  The purpose of this communication is to elucidate the 
most notable fallacies in these documents and to provide an accurate record 
of the situation regarding the Herbarium.

         The essential facts are:
1.      The precedent-setting decision to transfer the University of Iowa 
Herbarium to Iowa State evaded normal due process.  Rather than a 
transparent, public process, the decision appears to have been essentially 
unilateral, with successive administrators endorsing predecessor's 
decisions, and without any serious consideration of opposing viewpoints.

2.      The research focus of the Department of Biological Sciences may 
have shifted; however, the Herbarium is a university facility utilized by 
diverse groups.  Furthermore, the Herbarium plays a fundamental role in the 
thriving, interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences Program.

3.      Current activity levels in the Herbarium are robust, reflecting 
active use of the collection by faculty, students, staff and the public of 
eastern Iowa.  Over the last ten years, 100 publications/reports/creative 
works and over 30 theses have been based on use of the Herbarium.  Over the 
same 10 year period, class use of the Herbarium averaged over 300 
students/yr in 10-12 courses.  We have an active outreach program that 
includes presentations to conservation groups, schools and colleges, and 
the Herbarium web site averages over 4,000 Requests for Pages and over 
1,000 Distinct Hosts Served monthly.  A fundamental purpose of all of our 
efforts to increase visibility and raise public consciousness of the 
Herbarium has been to develop a strong foundation for resubmission of an 
NSF proposal for collections' support.

4.      Funding is available at the University of Iowa for immediate and 
long-term Herbarium maintenance.  An interdisciplinary environmental group, 
the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research 
(http://atmos.cgrer.uiowa.edu) that is funded directly by the state 
legislature, independent of the University's budget, has pledged continuing 
funds for the Herbarium staff position.  A bequest, estimated at $250,000, 
has been pledged provided the Herbarium remains at Iowa.  The Friends of 
the University of Iowa Herbarium, a nonprofit corporation, is engaged in an 
effort to raise a $500,000 endowment.

5.      There is space for the Herbarium on the University of Iowa 
campus.  One ideal site is Macbride Hall, a building specifically designed 
for the Museum of Natural History and its collections, and named in honour 
of one of the first Herbarium curators.  Approximately 4,000 square feet of 
space is occupied by just 20 graduate student cubicles; the Herbarium 
requires just over 2,000 square feet.

6.      The University of Iowa and Iowa State Herbaria are well cared for, 
secure, and most accessible in their current locations.  Having a 
collection in eastern Iowa is crucial to ensuring that biodiversity 
investigations of this part of the state continue.



THE DETAILS
Background

On December 4, 2001, I was informed that Dean Linda Maxson of the 
University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences had decided to 
transfer the Herbarium to Iowa State University.  Since then, a diverse 
group of faculty, staff, students and the public of eastern Iowa have 
fought this decision.  Our resistance began internally, with a year of 
traditional, diplomatic efforts, but when that approach yielded no results, 
we felt we had no alternative but to move into the public arena  even to 
the extent of marching in the Homecoming Parade!  We continue our 
resistance for a multitude of reasons.  Paramount among these are:
o       The Herbarium represents an irreplaceable cultural and natural 
historical resource for the University of Iowa and eastern Iowa

o       The Herbarium was established as part of the Museum of Natural 
History and its divestment would represent the first step in dismantling 
the similarly imperiled Museum

o       The Herbarium is a vital resource for University of Iowa faculty in 
multiple disciplines; for related facilities, including the Center for 
Global and Regional Environmental Research, the Office of the State 
Archeologist, the Iowa Geological Survey, the State Historical Society and 
the University of Iowa Collections Coalition; for students in the 
interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences Program, in Biological Sciences 
and Liberal Arts; for staff; and for the public of eastern Iowa

o       Loss of the Herbarium would seriously impede environmental studies 
and conservation of the remnants of natural habitats in eastern Iowa, the 
part of the state with the greatest biodiversity

o       This country can ill afford the loss of even one state 
institutional collection, and the consciousness it raises about organismal 
diversity and the need for conservation right here in the U.S.  For each 
collection that is lost, the remainder are that much more imperiled.

I am deeply grateful to those of you who have lent your support to our 
endeavours by writing to President Skorton.  Some others who have not, have 
suggested that this is an institutional issue and University of Iowa 
administrators will not be interested in comments from researchers outside 
of Iowa.  Based on our experiences of the past two years, I am convinced of 
just the opposite.  Your letters empower us!  Administrators do not like 
negative publicity, most particularly not in a national academic 
forum.  Letters from the taxonomic community provide irrefutable evidence 
that this University is gaining notoriety as a consequence of this 
deplorable decision and the way this matter has been handled. In the happy 
event that we are successful in turning this situation around, the entire 
taxonomic community benefits.  If any of you would like to add your voices, 
please write to President Skorton at david-skorton at uiowa.edu, but ensure 
that we are aware of your support by copying to me at diana-horton at uiowa.edu.

Recent Developments

Recently, under the Freedom of Information Act, we have accessed letters 
and statements concerning the Herbarium by University of Iowa President 
David Skorton, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Linda Maxson, and 
Department of Biological Sciences Chair Jack Lilien.  These documents 
contain, whether purposefully or not, inaccuracies, misrepresentations and 
distortions, and we believe that some or all of these documents have been 
provided to the National Science Foundation (NSF).  The purpose of this 
communication is to elucidate the most notable fallacies in these documents 
and to provide an accurate record of the situation regarding the Iowa 
Herbarium.
1.      The precedent-setting decision to transfer the Iowa Herbarium to 
Iowa State evaded normal due process.

In a statement of June 1, 2003, President Skorton noted that "The decision 
has been pondered by the Department, the office of the Dean, the office of 
the Vice President, by three presidents, and by the community".  In a 
letter of June 10, 2003 to an NSF director, Dean Maxson asserted that "The 
merger was approved in 2002 under standard UI procedures for 
decision-making about use of resources.  A recommendation from the Chair of 
Biological Sciences was approved by me in May and subsequently by the 
President's Council on Strategic Implementation in June 2002.  The decision 
made by then-UI President Mary Sue Coleman was upheld by her successor, 
interim President Willard S. Boyd, and by the current UI President, David 
Skorton.  In each successive consideration of the merger, the University 
took public comments into consideration."  In a June 23, 2003 letter to an 
NSF director, Chair Lilien stated that "After thorough study, including 
open meetings with three university presidents, a public forum in which the 
lay community was invited to participate, and numerous discussions within 
the college and department, it was concluded that merger with the Iowa 
State Herbarium was the most practical choice".  In the College's 
assessment of the Herbarium, provided to the NSF director with the Dean's 
letter of June 10, 2003, it is reported that the Dean's Office had received 
19 letters and e-mails in support of the Herbarium, and one letter from a 
student who was using the Herbarium for an Honour's thesis project.

         In fact:
-       on December 1, 2001, before I, the Curator, had even been informed 
of the decision, Dean Maxson sent an e-mail to an NSF director, seeking 
"discretionary funds for emergencies", to expedite transfer of the 
Herbarium.  The Dean incorrectly stated that the Iowa Herbarium lacks a 
Curator, and that the collections face damage and deterioration the longer 
they remain at Iowa.

-       the decision of the President's Council on Strategic Implementation 
was based upon an assessment of the Herbarium provided by Dean 
Maxson.  This assessment, which was included in her letter of June 10, 
2003, contradicts extensive data I provided to administrators on the 
Herbarium's contributions to research and teaching, and minimizes the role 
of the Herbarium in both areas.  Yet, I never was informed of these 
damaging comments and therefore had no opportunity to respond to their 
validity.

-       there was no vote, either by the faculty or the Executive Committee 
of Biological Sciences, regarding the transfer of the Herbarium.

-       there is no evidence, in materials obtained under the Freedom of 
Information Act, that the Chair of Biological Sciences formally recommended 
that the Herbarium be transferred.

-       all meetings with administrators were initiated by Herbarium 
supporters, and only one took place prior to President Coleman formalizing 
the decision on June 21, 2002.  The public forum referenced by Chair Lilien 
was organized by Herbarium supporters and, after repeated requests that the 
President participate or send his representative, he agreed to send a 
representative.  Furthermore, at most meetings, administrators either 
openly stated, or made clear by their demeanor, that they had no intention 
of reversing the decision.  For example, President Skorton's initial 
statement at a meeting with students on April 21, 2003, was reportedly that 
he had no intention of changing the decision to transfer the Herbarium.

-       Administrators' responses to letters of protest from faculty, 
students, staff and the public generally have favoured or outright affirmed 
the decision to transfer the Herbarium.

-       more than 55 letters and e-mails of protest have been sent to 
administrators; 27 letters of protest have been published in local 
newspapers; a student petition with over 120 signatures was sent to 
then-President Coleman; a petition bearing over 1,500 signatures of 
faculty, students and residents of Iowa recently was presented to President 
Skorton

-       when the petition with over 1,500 signatures was given to President 
Skorton, he immediately responded that no number of signatures on a 
petition would move him to change the decision.

2.      The research focus of the Department of Biological Sciences may 
have shifted; however, the Herbarium is a university facility utilized by 
diverse groups.  Furthermore, the Herbarium plays a fundamental role in the 
thriving, interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences Program.

President Skorton (statement of June 1, 2003), Dean Maxson (letter and 
statement of June 10, 2003) and Chair Lilien (letter of June 23, 2003) all 
have reported that the research focus in the Department of Biological 
Sciences has changed at Iowa since the merger of the Botany and Biology 
Departments in 1992.  Chair Lilien stated that current research areas 
include Molecular Evolution (Comparative Genomics), Cell and Developmental 
Biology, Neurobiology, Genetics and Biotechnology, and Plant Molecular 
Biology and Physiology.  Dean Maxson noted that the "Department's hiring 
plans do not include replacement of scholarly interests of remaining 
faculty in organismal biology when they resign/retire".

         In fact:
-       according to the Department of Biological Sciences web site 
(http://www.biology.uiowa.edu/faculty.php), the research areas are 
Evolution and Ecology, Cell and Developmental Biology, Neurobiology, 
Genetics and Biotechnology, Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology

-       a reliable source recently told me that the Department plans to 
advertise a position for an ecologist later this year

-       administrators have not mentioned the increasingly popular 
Environmental Sciences Program.  An average of over 70 students/yr are 
enrolled in this interdisciplinary Program and most declare the Biosciences 
Track as their focus.  The Herbarium is an integral resource for several 
Environmental Sciences courses.

-       the Herbarium is a university, not departmental, facility that is 
utilized by faculty, students and staff representing diverse disciplines 
and user groups, including the Center for Global and Regional Environmental 
Research, the Office of the State Archaeologist, the Museum of Natural 
History, the State Historical Society, the Iowa Geological Survey and the 
University of Iowa Collections Coalition.

-       If the Department of Biological Sciences no longer wishes to 
provide administrative oversight for the Herbarium, there is no need to 
transfer the Herbarium to Iowa State University.  The University of Iowa 
Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research has offered to serve 
as administrative home for the Herbarium.  This would be particularly 
appropriate in view of the interdisciplinary nature of this group and its 
environmental focus.

3.      Current activity levels in the Herbarium are robust, reflecting 
active use by faculty, students, staff and the public of eastern Iowa.

President Skorton (statement of June 1, 2003) reported that regular 
classroom use of the Herbarium was "very limited and restricted to tours" 
and that the number of research articles citing the Herbarium was very 
limited.  Dean Maxson (letter of June 10, 2003) reported that only 54 of 69 
journal articles in a list submitted by me could be located and that only 
13 of these "directly cited or acknowledged" the Herbarium.  She concluded 
that the "paucity of citations and acknowledgements indicates that, even 
for those researchers who visited the Herbarium, it had no evident impact 
on their scholarship".  With respect to classroom usage, Chair Lilien 
(letter of June 23, 2003) reported that the Herbarium is mentioned in two 
syllabi, and suggested that usage by all the other courses is anecdotal or 
sporadic.  He also noted that enrollment in all courses applied to the 
Biological Sciences major is falling.

         In fact:
-       copies of all publications based on use of the Herbarium could have 
been provided to administrators had they been requested.

-       the list of publications, reports, creative works and theses based 
on the Herbarium is extensive 
(http://atmos.cgrer.uiowa.edu/herbarium/HerbariumPublications1989-2003.htm). 
Over the last ten years, at least 73 refereed publications, 26 non-refereed 
publications/reports/creative works and 30 theses have been based on use of 
the Herbarium.  The fact that many of these fail to formally acknowledge or 
cite usage of the Herbarium simply reflects the fact that herbaria, like 
libraries, are such a fundamental resource that researchers frequently 
overlook acknowledgement.

-       the list of courses that utilize the Herbarium, and the number of 
students who learn about collections-based research through this medium, 
reflect the educational utility of this collection 
(http://atmos.cgrer.uiowa.edu/herbarium/HerbUgrEd2003.htm).  The fact that 
some syllabi make no mention of the Herbarium does not in any way indicate 
that usage is merely anecdotal or sporadic.  For example, in Plant 
Diversity and Evolution, the Herbarium per se is not mentioned in the 
syllabus, but Herbarium specimens are utilized in virtually every 
class.  In fact, they are the materials that make the class possible!  The 
fact that course offerings change over time does not reflect negatively on 
the Herbarium.  Irrespective of changes in course offerings, the Herbarium 
consistently has played a significant role in the education of, on average, 
over 300 students/yr in 10-12 courses since 1993.

-       the Herbarium is a fundamental resource for the interdisciplinary 
Environmental Sciences Program, yet this increasingly popular degree 
program is nowhere mentioned by administrators in their assessment of 
Herbarium usage

-       the Herbarium is listed in at least four syllabi, including 
Systematics (2:140), Introduction to Botany (2:001), Biogeography 
(2:103/44:103), and Collection Care and Management (24:120)

-       enrollment in two of the Biological Sciences Degree courses that I 
teach, Systematics and Biogeography, has increased to the extent that, a 
year ago, Chair Lilien requested that I open Biogeography up to a maximum 
of 60 rather than 40 students.  Enrollment in my Systematics course has 
similarly increased, but has been limited to approximately 30 students by 
the size of the room where it is taught.

-       the Herbarium is accessed by faculty, students, staff and the 
public in connection with plant identifications on a daily basis, 
frequently multiple times during the growing season.

-       the Herbarium has developed an active outreach program that 
involves presentations to conservation groups and students from local 
colleges and schools.  The Herbarium web site 
(http://atmos.cgrer.uiowa.edu/herbarium) is an important educational and 
outreach tool that has averaged over 4,400 Requests for Pages and over 
1,100 Distinct Hosts Served monthly for the 18 months it has been on-line 
(http://atmos.cgrer.uiowa.edu/herbarium/WebSiteOct2003.htm).

-       An underlying purpose of all of our efforts to increase visibility 
and raise public consciousness of the Herbarium has been to develop a 
strong foundation for resubmission of an NSF proposal for collections' support.

4.      Funding is available at the University of Iowa for immediate and 
long-term Herbarium maintenance.

President Skorton (statement of June 1, 2003) and Dean Maxson (letter of 
June 10, 2003) noted that salary for a staff position and for operating 
expenses would be needed.  The salary for the half-time staff position was 
$20,590 in FY2002 and operating expenses are estimated at $1,000/year.

         In fact:
-       the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER) 
(http://atmos.cgrer.uiowa.edu), an interdisciplinary environmental group 
that receives its funding directly from the state legislature (this is 
significant in that CGRER's funding is independent of the University's 
budget), has pledged funds, on a continuing basis, for the staff position 
for the Herbarium.

-       there is a bequest, contingent on the Herbarium remaining at the 
University of Iowa, estimated at $250,000.  The entire bequest is to the 
Herbarium.  If used as an endowment, this would yield $12,500/year (at 5%).

-       the Friends of the University of Iowa Herbarium, a non-profit 
corporation, is engaged in an effort to raise a $500,000 endowment for the 
Herbarium.

-       in these times of fiscal constraint, University of Iowa 
administrators maintain that lack of funds is one reason the Herbarium must 
be transferred, yet they have pledged $25,000 to cover the cost of packing 
and transporting the collection to Iowa State.

-       in these times of fiscal constraint, President Skorton maintains 
that lack of funds is one reason the Herbarium must be transferred, yet in 
his statement of June1, 2003, he suggested that expending up to $25,000/yr 
for faculty and students to travel to Iowa State to access the herbarium 
there would be less costly than keeping the Herbarium at the University of 
Iowa.

5.      There is space for the Herbarium on the University of Iowa campus.

President Skorton (statement of June 1, 2003), Dean Maxson (letter of June 
10, 2003) and Chair Lilien (letter of June 23, 2003) reported that there is 
no suitable space to house the Herbarium and no funds to renovate 
space.  President Skorton noted that space in Macbride Hall is occupied and 
used heavily by TAs.  He also noted that there is insufficient power to air 
condition this space.

         In fact:
-       Macbride Hall would be an ideal situation for the Herbarium for 
several reasons.  The building was specifically designed for collections 
(e.g., the walls are three feet thick to reduce temperature and humidity 
fluctuations), its name commemorates one of the first Herbarium curators, 
and it houses the Museum of Natural History.  In one part of the building, 
approximately 4,000 square feet of space is occupied by just 20 graduate 
student cubicles.  Since the Herbarium requires just over 2,000 square feet 
of space, it is clear that both graduate students and the Herbarium could 
be accommodated.  Other parts of this building are air conditioned; an 
independent analysis of the feasibility of air conditioning this area is 
needed.

-       the existence of under-utilized space in Macbride Hall demonstrates 
that, even though space always is a contentious issue, it nevertheless 
exists, even in the heart of the campus.

6.      The University of Iowa and Iowa State Herbaria are well cared for, 
secure, and most accessible in their current locations.

President Skorton (statement of June 1, 2003) conceded that transfer of the 
Herbarium to Ames would present a "level of inconvenience for Iowa scholars 
and students who would prefer local access".  However, he asserted that 
Iowa personnel and students can borrow specimens and it will be possible to 
arrange University of Iowa sponsored travel to Ames.  He also suggested 
that "Some remote use of the combined collection may be feasible" and noted 
that "Web-based access to information about the collection, its specimens 
and images of some of the specimens is already possible".  Chair Lilien 
(letter of June 23, 2003) suggested that the merger "guarantees the long 
term well being of the collections" and that it ensures "that the 
collections will be available to all students, teachers and researchers 
across the entire state".

         In fact:
-       the Iowa collections have been, and continue to be, well cared 
for.  Collections Conservator, Catharine Hawks, who evaluated the 
collection in 2001 as part of a Conservation Assessment of the Museum of 
Natural History, reported that they are "in very good condition".

-       the greatest threat to the University of Iowa specimens may be the 
proposal to transport them to Iowa State in the cabinets, with the 
specimens compressed in the cubicles, by consolidating them and/or by 
adding stuffing.  While this method has been used at other institutions, 
without reported harm to the collections, it is a very different matter to 
transport specimens in this manner locally, a distance of a few miles or 
less, as opposed to a trip of 130 miles, and two and one-half hours 
duration.  If the specimens are not properly packed in bundles, in the 
usual manner for shipping by mail, and the cabinets are not cushioned to 
prevent vibration, the possibility of irreparable damage from abrasion is 
very real.

-       it is not feasible to borrow specimens for purposes of routine 
identification because of the breadth of representation required.

-       Ames is a 300 mile, five hour, round trip from Iowa City.  It is 
not accessible if one lives in eastern Iowa.  Time constraints alone make 
this trip highly impractical on a regular basis.  Half a day to work in 
Ames probably would be insufficient and it is difficult for many people to 
arrange to be away overnight.  Few would regard an analogous transfer of 
the University of Iowa Library to Iowa State as a practical arrangement.

-       while images of specimens can be useful in some instances, 
frequently the level of detail required would make reference to an image no 
more helpful than reference to an illustration or photograph.  In any 
event, we are a long way from having digital images of the Iowa specimens 
in the herbaria at Iowa and Iowa State.

-       the inaccessibility that would result from the merger will severely 
reduce biodiversity studies of plants in eastern Iowa.  Eastern Iowa is the 
'hot spot' of the state, the part of the state that is characterized by the 
greatest species diversity, and we are actively engaged in continuing the 
work of documenting the biodiversity of this region.  In the last 10 years, 
people working in eastern Iowa have recorded at least 10 native species new 
to the state, and new county records are commonplace.



Diana Horton
Director and Curator, University of Iowa Herbarium
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences
312 CB
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA  52242-1297

October 21, 2003
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/private/nhcoll-l/attachments/20031021/2788767a/attachment.html