Regents want more information about lobbying for R&D funding – MSU outspends bigger schools

Montana’s universities have been lobbying Congress and federal agencies for years, raising roughly $150 million a year for research projects.

By Chronicle Staff

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2004/10/27/news/lobbyingsidebar.txt

Now the Montana Board of Regents wants to be in on the lobbying loop.

Regent Mike Foster raised the issue at the last regents meeting in September. Foster said he had initially run into a lot of resistance when he asked to see the requests sent to Washington, D.C., by the University of Montana and Montana State University.

That sparked rumors, Foster said, that he must have "evil intent," be "micro-managing," making a "power grab" and causing "potentially grave harm."

Foster said his intent is to find out how the process works, whether it can work better and whether the regents can help.

Together, UM and MSU were asking for as much as $250 million, which could have a big impact on the state’s economic development, yet the regents have had no role, he said.

"I confess I didn’t know we had lobbyists in D.C.," said Regents Chairman John Mercer.

Foster said he’d talked with people in Washington and the campus lobbyists had received "very high marks," but some of the hired Washington lobbyists got "mixed reviews."

Daniel Dwyer, UM’s vice president for research, said UM had won $8 million in earmarked congressional appropriations, but most of its $65.4 million in new research contracts was won through competition before agencies.

Dwyer also told the regents it is "important to make decisions close to the campus where the research takes place."

Tom McCoy, MSU’s vice president for research, said he’s happy to have the regents participate. They can sit in next month when his office considers MSU scientists’ requests and sets priorities for upcoming campaigns before Congress and federal agencies.

"There are no secrets here," McCoy said.

UM spent $240,000 on lobbying last year, almost as much as MSU, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. But UM received about one-third as much in earmarked funds, $7 million, it reported.

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Journal: MSU outspends bigger schools

Associated Press

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/10/27/build/state/40-msu-outspends.inc

BOZEMAN – Montana State University outspent Columbia, Duke, Notre Dame and other big-name schools on federal lobbying as it secured $20.2 million for research programs or buildings last year, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

MSU spent $260,000 and ranked 47th in spending among 558 lobbying colleges, the journal reported. For every dollar spent, the university got back between $75 and $100, said Tom McCoy, MSU vice president for research.

The University of California system, which was the biggest lobbying spender, reported a $23-to-$1 return ratio.

University officials partially attribute the school’s success to the state’s having two senior U.S. senators, including Senate Appropriations Committee member Conrad Burns.

McCoy’s office spent $200,000 to hire Van Scoyoc Associates Inc., the second biggest academic lobbying firm. McCoy said the money to hire the lobbyists came from either donations or research grants, not tuition or state funds. McCoy said the firm was able to help him meet with directors of the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

"If I were just calling from little old Bozeman, that wouldn’t happen," McCoy said.

MSU also paid $60,000 to registered lobbyist Roger Fleming, according to the article. MSU officials said Fleming was hired to help with fund-raising, especially from corporate clients interested in distance learning.

Universities spent more than $61 million on lobbying last year, more than twice what was spent five years ago.

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