Iowa Lawmakers Seek to End Student Vote on Board of Regents

"If passed and signed into law, the bill would replace the student regent with a ninth one appointed by the governor. In addition, seven new nonvoting member seats would be established: three for students, two for state senators and two for state representatives. The proposed legislation also details several new policies and programs the board would be required to establish and would give members of the state's General Assembly the ability to override board and university expenditures through a joint resolution."

"The policies outlined align with the key higher education priorities for Republicans in the statehouse who hold a majority. They include: Establishing a post-tenure review process Developing approval standards for new academic programs Barring faculty senates from "exercising any governance authority over the institution" Conducting biennial reviews of all general education requirements and low-enrollment academic programs Creating an ombudsman office that will "investigate complaints of violations of state or federal law or board policy""

A voting student position on the Iowa Board of Regents would be eliminated and replaced by a ninth regent appointed by the governor. Seven new nonvoting member seats would be added: three for students, two for state senators and two for state representatives. The bill would require the board to establish several policies and programs and would allow the General Assembly to override board and university expenditures through a joint resolution. Required measures include post-tenure review, standards for approving new programs, barring faculty senates from governance authority, biennial curriculum and low-enrollment reviews, and creation of an ombudsman office. The Board of Regents oversees the state’s three public four-year universities while community colleges remain overseen by locally elected boards.

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