Iowa Higher Ed Overhaul Bills Mostly Died, but Regents May Act

""We have had some successes in many of these bills not getting through the Legislature," said Chris Martin, president of the United Faculty union at the University of Northern Iowa, part of a coalition that opposed the legislation. "On the other hand, [for] some of these bills, the ideas have been translated into proposed policies at the Board of Regents.""

Bills introduced in Iowa would have restricted public universities from hiring Chinese citizens on H-1B visas and required universities to sign a presidential “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” The proposals would also limit presidential search committees from disclosing candidate names without applicant consent. Additional measures included allowing post-tenure reviews at any time, shortening terms for Board of Regents members, removing the student board member’s voting right, and giving the Legislature power to cancel specific board expenditures. Universities would also face liability for 10% of defaulted student loans and would be taxed on public and private endowments above $500 million. Most proposals did not pass the Republican-controlled Senate, though regents could adopt some provisions as policy.

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