University administrators are looking for ways to increase research funding at the institution, but the upcoming elections could change all of that.Jason Droddy, assistant vice chancellor of Legislative and External Affairs, said it will be difficult to forecast where the University will stand after a new U.S. president is inaugurated and possibly new state senators and representatives.”Right now, we’re taking stock of our strengths and [waiting] to see where the agencies are going to head when the new [presidential] administration comes and how LSU falls into that,” Droddy said. Chancellor Michael Martin, in an Oct. 8 broadcast e-mail, said he wants to focus on gaining resources for campus programs.”We need to get better intelligence on what’s coming out of the federal competitive grant world so our people can tee up proposals and partnerships more readily,” Martin said in an Oct. 8 interview with The Daily Reveille.Martin said the University has not played an active role in the Washington scene with Congress, non-profit organizations and federal agencies in driving new resources to the institution’s scientists, faculty and students.Droddy said he wants to re-establish relationships with Louisiana congressmen and their staffers.”The staffers in those offices tend to be subject-matter experts,” he said.Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., has staffers who are experts in coastal issues, Droddy said.Federal appropriations, or earmarks, are seen as opportunities for the University to gain funding for research projects such as coastal issues, Droddy said.Earmarks have been a controversial issue during this year’s election cycle.Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., wants to slash the number of earmarks and ensure that all spending decisions are open to the public, according to Obama’s campaign Web site.Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he wants to take back earmark funds and “reclaim billions of add-on spending from earmarks” and add-ons from the 2007-2008 fiscal year, according to McCain’s campaign Web site.Droddy said the University would only support earmarks as long as they serve some type of state interest or further the University’s research in the interest of the state or nation.Martin said he wants to work with Louisiana congressmen so they know the University’s needs and help the appropriate funding if the opportunity arises.Droddy said one way the University can gain appropriations is through indirect funding from partnerships with other institutions.For example, Droddy said the University of Hawaii has a strong coastal science program – and Hawaii also happens to have an influential senator.”If LSU’s coastal science wants to help Hawaii’s coastal sciences, their senator can earmark the science, and LSU can stand to gain from that partnership,” he said. “We don’t necessarily seek out delegation members, but when we have partnerships in the sciences, sometimes their delegators are able to help them and indirectly help us.”Droddy said he agrees with the Martin in what he calls an “engagement university.””That is, federal support with issues that are important for the state and using LSU as a mechanism to solve those problems,” Droddy said.—-Contact J.J. Alcantara at [email protected]