The Board of Regents approved a tuition increase Thursday of 3% for the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, and 2.7% percent at UNI.
Board of Regents representative Brad Berg says a plan to charge in-state tuition at UNI for students from states surrounding Iowa will be delayed. “Those proposed rates were based on funding that was included in the education appropriations bill and with the Governor’s recent veto of the funding for that initiative. Would like to take action on those three rates at a subsequent meeting,” Berg says. The Board also approved an increase in mandatory fees by 3% at the UI, 2.7% at UNI, and 1.7% at ISU.
The Board then voted to give the leaders of the three universities and executive director of the Board raises. Regent David Barker made a motions to increase the salary for Executive Director Mark Braun to $176,384, and to establish a new deferred compensation plan commencing July 1st, 2025 and terminating June 30th 2027 with annual contributions of $230,000. That’s a nearly $20,000 salary increase for Braun.
Barker then made a motion on increasing the salaries of UI president Barbara Wilson and Wendy Wintersteen. “President Wilson, increase her base salary to $825,000 effective July 1st, 2025. For President Wintersteen increase her base salary to $735,000 dollars effective July 1st, 2025,” Barker says. UNI President Rod Nook is also getting a raise to up is base salary to $410,000 effective July 1st, 2025. Wilson’s salary increased $65,000, Wintersteen’s $25,000, and Nook’s nearly $13,000.
The Regents approved the salary increases with no discussion. A spokesman for the Board says they made their decisions based on two close meeting evaluations this year. The spokesman did not answer when asked why the Board voted to increase the salary of ISU president Wendy Wintersteen even though she is retiring in January.