November 15-16 Meeting Recap

The Board of Regents met in the Slife Ballroom at the Commons of the University of Northern Iowa on November 15-16. Key items reviewed by committees and the Board are outlined below.

Investment and Finance Committee
The comprehensive fiscal report highlighted the FY 2018 budgetary numbers for the Regents Enterprise. Actual revenues for the Regents system were $5.98 billion. Just 33.1-percent of the Regents $1.67 billion FY 2018 operating revenues came from state appropriations. Sixty-one percent of general operation funding for Iowa’s public universities came from tuition.

Public Comment
Five speakers signed up to address the Board prior to the meeting. All five spoke in opposition to the closing of the UI Labor Center.

Tuition and Resource Discussion
President Richards discussed the need for the three primary funding areas - tuition, state appropriations and reallocations - to work in concert with each other to support our universities. In addition, Richards made three announcements regarding future tuition policy.

• The Board will discuss tuition with a first reading in April and a final decision in June. This timeline will be continued in future years. 
• Steps to make the University of Northern Iowa more competitively priced with its peer institutions will be taken, should the state fund its full request.
• Over the next five years, resident undergraduate tuition increases at Iowa and Iowa State will increase by three percent per year if state appropriation requests are fully funded. If the state provides no additional funding, tuition will increase by three percent plus the projected Higher Education Price Index (HEPI), which is forecast at two percent this year.

Fall Enrollment Report
This fall, Iowa’s public universities enrolled 2,206 fewer students than during Fall 2017 - a 2.8% drop. Total Fall 2018 enrollment at the universities was 77,860, including more than 47 thousand Iowa residents (61-percent). More than 15-percent of students at Iowa’s public universities identify as a racial/ethnic minority, a record. 

Condition of Higher Education in Iowa
Mark Wiederspan, executive research officer at The Iowa College Aid Commission, presented the commission’s biennial report on the Condition of Higher Education in Iowa. The report included demographics, college readiness and financial aid and student debt information. In addition, the report highlighted the importance of a four-year college degree, noting that salary, unemployment, and job attainment numbers are more positive for those holding bachelor’s degrees than for those without. 

Audit and Compliance Committee
The committee considered internal audit reports and its 2019 committee calendar.

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Committee
Dr. J. Brooks Jackson presented the UIHC Presentation, which included a faculty research section by Dr. Jacob Michaelson, who presented next-generation autism research.

Academic Affairs Committee
Iowa State’s proposal for a National Institute for Anti-Microbial Resistance Research and Education was recommended, paving the way for ISU to establish itself as a national leader in Anti-Microbial research. Additionally, the University of Iowa requested permission to name its Department of Biomedical Engineering the Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Campus and Student Affairs Committee
A joint presentation with the Academic Affairs Committee on enrollment management and admissions opened the Campus and Student Affairs Committee Meeting. Matt Kroeger of UNI, Kirk Kluver of the UI and Katharine Johnson Suski of ISU presented highlights of their respective universities’ undergraduate recruitment efforts.

Property and Facilities Committe
Iowa State requested permission to proceed with its $90 million Jack Trice Stadium renovation, which includes a new sports performance center, renovations to the Jacobson Building, a new North Entry Plaza, and an addition to Bergstrom. The project will be entirely funded by private giving and funds from athletics department operations. 

Consent Agenda
Both ISU and the U of I requested final approval to close a number of on-campus centers. Approval was given to the University of Iowa to award an honorary doctor of humane letters degree to Dr. Mary Sue Coleman and an honorary doctor of science degree to Dr. Ellen R. Stofan at spring 2019 commencement ceremonies.

Dr. Daniel Robison was appointed Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State, effective March 31, 2019.