Was looking in the article for any mention or connection with AGW glowbull warming. Seeing none, I'll presume, for now, that no taxpayer funds were involved.
Considering the college is in a county which voted 7-1 against ObaMao, I'd say the odds of any federal funds being used was slim to none. It also happens to be the most conservative city in the U.S.A. There was an interesting compare and contrast post with Detroit, the most liberal city in the U.S.A., which pointed out a huge disparity in livability despite remarkable similarities in income.