Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Archives for Board of Regents

Board of Regents approves increase in room and board rates

By

The cost of tuition isn’t the only thing going up at the three state-supported universities.

The Board of Regents approved an increase in room and board rates for the schools at their meeting Thursday in Council Bluffs. The cost for the most popular double room and meal plan at the University of Iowa will go up 2.7%, it increases 2.4% at Iowa State University, and 1.9% at the University of Northern Iowa.

Regent Nancy Boetger of Harlan asked Brad Berg of the Regents office if the rates go up consistently every year. “Yeah, I think that’s a fair statement. These systems are 100% responsible for all of their operating costs in addition to all of their capital improvements, and they are a self supporting unit,” Berg says.

Berg say they try to keep the costs increases down as he says they are aware that this is part of the cost of attending the three schools. There are a variety of different meal and room plans available at each of the schools.  The most common plan at the University of Iowa with a double room and full board will increase $269 to $10,284. At Iowa State the plan will increase $203 to $8,720. The same type of plan at the University of Northern Iowa increases $167 to $8,948.

Here’s a rundown on the room and board rates: Room-and-Board-rates-PDF

 

Students speak as Board of Regents considers tuition increase

By

The State Board of Regents approved the first reading Thursday of proposed tuition increases of nearly 4% for Iowa State University and the University of Iowa and nearly 3% for UNI. Student leaders spoke before the vote, with UNI leader Drew Stensland speaking first.

“It is the students’ stance that tuition be held to as low of an increase as possible with the budget constraints that the university faces,” Stensland says. “Quality education is absolutely vital to students who attend UNI, but the reality is that the cost of going to UNI in comparison to our peer institutions is anything but advantageous.” He told the Regents they have to make sure the cost of education does not get too high for students.

“I don’t envy the decisions that you have to make, and looking forward it is up to you to make sure that you look forward and make sure that the students who come after me have the awesome experience that I am having,” Stensland says. Iowa State University student body president Cody West says he supports the “differential” approach to tuition which charges different amounts for different programs.

“Of all the approaches that we have seen — this one seems to make the most sense to me and the students that I represent,” West says. “This concept is a logical, factual one that will benefit the financial security of the universe. but I would be remiss to say that I fear it has far reaching consequences that are to complex to comprehend at times.” West is ending his term and says in the state budget cuts cannot continue if ISU is to maintain its quality.

“ISU continues to remain in a delicate balance of accessibility and quality. The only option that remains to ensure a quality education is to place this on the backs of students, West says. “I know that I and many of my peers may not have had the opportunity to attend and continue our education if we had enrolled in ISU this fall. For the last time as student body president I want to warn the legislature — they are heading down a dark and unforgiving path.” University of Iowa student president Jacob Simpson called on the school to continue working to make school affordable.

“Financial aid policies and practices must be reviewed and reformed to increase retention and graduation rates and to decrease student debt,” Simpson says. Simpson says the school cannot continue to take cuts in state support.

“The University of Iowa community as a whole should continue to encourage the governor and the Iowa Legislature to fund our institution at an appropriate level because of our invaluable service and our impact on the state, nation and the world,” according to Simpson. Regent Larry McKibbon of Marshalltown told the students there is one person who can have the final say on the issue. He encouraged the students to set up a meeting with the governor.

“I believe the governor would absolutely make time to listen to you and the things that you talked about today,” McKibben says. McKibben says the continued cuts in state funding have hurt the universities and he says they should give back 12 million dollars cut from the budgets.

He says he understands that it is difficult for the legislators to make these budget decisions — but he says the students have delivered the message that it is difficult if they do not provide the funding. The Board of Regents will have their second and final reading on the tuition proposal in June.

 

Judges rule in U-I open meetings case, AFSCME bargaining law challenge

By

Judges sided with the state in rulings on two cases issued Monday.

A district court judge ruled there is “no evidence” the board that governs the University of Iowa violated the state’s open meeting law when board members first met with the man they’d ultimately hire the school’s president.

The judge said “it may have looked problematic” that then-Board of Regents president Bruce Rastetter organized small group meetings with Bruce Harreld, but the judge dismissed the lawsuit that charged the board should have been advising the public they were meeting with Harreld.

In the other case, another district court judge dismissed a lawsuit by the state’s largest employee union that challenged the state’s new collective bargaining law. AFSCME argued the law’s unconstitutional and the group’s president says they are likely to appeal the case all the way to the Iowa Supreme Court.

ISU dean makes case for taking over as school president

By

Wendy Wintersteen

The final candidate to make a case for becoming the next president of Iowa State University says she knows the issues facing the university better than anyone.

Wendy Wintersteen is the current dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the Ames school. Wintersteen says while they’ve seen record growth in student numbers — the school also is facing several challenges.

“Those challenges include budget constraints, the challenges include faculty and staff who are really burning the candle at both ends. We have staff and faculty that don’t understand the many different administrative changes that are occurring at the university,” Wintersteen says. “And of course, the issue of campus climate is one that occurs throughout the university.”

Wintersteen says the next president needs to get right to work. “I believe at this point in time we need somebody that can step into the presidency that understands the issues — that is ready to work on day one,” Wintersteen says. She makes the case that her experience would allow her to get to work immediately. “I do not believe given the challenges facing us that we have time to wait for someone to come in from outside and spend one or two years learning about the situation. Trying to understand the history, trying to understand the context of the situation,” according to Winterseen. “I believe that I am a compelling candidate for Iowa State University because I do understand the situation.”

Wintersteen says the university needs to move forward now to improve on what it already has done to provide a quality education to students. “It’s time to build on the very successful retention rates we have at Iowa State, and address the issue we have with graduation rates. As we look at graduation rates at Iowa State University, we find that we are not competitive with our peers,” Wintersteen says.

Wintersteen says she considered becoming a candidate last time the presidency at ISU was open, and says this time she decided it was time to use the leadership skills she has gained at the school and step forward.

The Board of Regents will interview Wintersteen and the other three finalists on October 23rd, and then are expected to select the next president.

Board of Regents taking more time to decide tuition increase

By

The board that governs the three state universities is delaying a decision on tuition increases.

Board of Regents president Michael Richards released a statement today saying the board will not do its traditional first reading of a proposed tuition increase at its meeting next week in Cedar Falls.

He says the board needs additional time to consider the proper tuition increase, and that they don’t want multiple tuition increases during the year.

The Regents raised tuition 2% last December, and then had to raise it again by 3% after state budget cuts. The presidents of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and Northern Iowa each recently recommended to the board’s tuition task force that tuition be raised seven percent.

The U-I and ISU want to keep that same increase each of the next four years, while UNI proposes gradually reducing the increase each year.

Iowa State releases schedule for visits by presidential candidates

By

Iowa State has released a schedule of open forums where the four finalists seeking to become the school’s next president will meet the public.

The forums will begin next Monday at 4 p.m. in the Memorial Union. The names of the finalists will be revealed 24 hours before each forum. Each candidate will get the chance to talk about themselves and answer questions. The forums will continue through Thursday of next week.

The Board of Regents will meet on October 23rd to hear from the search committee and interview the finalists, and then are expected to select the new president. The new ISU leader will replace Steven Leath who left to take the same job at Auburn University.

Here’s the schedule:

Monday, October 9, 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union

Tuesday, October 10, 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the Durham Great Hall of the Memorial Union

Wednesday, October 11, 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union

Thursday, October 12, 4:00-5:00 p.m. in the Durham Great Hall of the Memorial Union

Live video streaming of each public forum will be available on the ISU Presidential Search website .

Photo courtesy of Christopher Gannon, ISU.

 

Board of Regents proposal requests more state funding with scholarship promise

By

The Board of Regents will consider a plan to ask the governor and state lawmakers for more funding when they meet next week.

The board will meet next Monday and consider a proposal that asks for 16 million more dollars in state funding for the 2018-19 academic year. That request comes with the promise that a majority of the money — $12 million  — will go to increase the amount of financial aid giving to students at Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa.

This request comes after the three schools told the board they need to raise tuition by seven percent in the next year. The U-I and ISU want to continue that increase each of the next four years, while UNI would gradually lower the increase.

Here’s background on the proposal the Board of Regents will discuss: Regents appropriation request PDF

Regents hear report from Tuition Task Force

By

Michael Richards (file photo)

The Board of Regents heard a report Thursday from the Tuition Task Force which summarized the information collected from the public and the presidents of the three state schools.

Board president Michael Richards says he believes there needs to be a proper blend of three resources to achieve the goal of maintaining and improving the quality of the three public universities.

“Documented savings and increases in productivity from the universities. Increased appropriations from the state. Predictable tuition increases for students and their families,” Richards says. “Relying on only one of the three will not allow us to achieve success.” He says the board has to show that it is using the resources in the best way.

“Our approach of this board is to be thoughtful and make longterm changes that continue to generate savings and make our universities more efficient and productive. We need to be diligent in following through on reenergizing our efficiency efforts,” Richards says. He says the board got great input as the task force met to discuss tuition.

“Some 50 emails a day for awhile,” Richards says. “We will consider all points of view as we look at the right mix of savings, state appropriations and tuition,” Richards says. Richards says the Board of Regents has had a long history of cooperation with legislative leaders and he says that will continue. He says they will be asking for more money from the state.

“Together I hope we can work collaboratively to make our public universities the best they can possibly be. The people of Iowa demand nothing less,” according to Richards. Richards says they may have to set next year’s tuition in December before the legislature decides appropriations. But he says they will set the right number.

The presidents at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University say they need a 7% increase in tuition each of the next five years. The president of the University of Northern Iowa says his school needs a similar amount in the first year, but would lower the amount during the next four years.

Candidate Corbett says drop Regents, former board president disagrees

By

Ron Corbett (file photo)

A Republican candidate for governor says the Board of Regents which oversees the three state universities is outdated and should be replaced. Ron Corbett says the recent proposals where each university proposes its own tuition increase shows the need to change.

“The board historically treated all universities the same, while now it’s letting each university run itself. So, that just makes sense to get rid of the board, save the taxpayers $4.5 million and then transfer into a trustee system where each of the universities can run themselves going forward,” Corbett says.

Corbett is a former legislator and current mayor of Cedar Rapids. He says Board of Regents has a large staff that adds another level of unneeded bureaucracy to the government. “You the governor, then you have the legislature, the you have the Board of Regents, the president’s office, then you have the faculty senate, the student senate. There’s just too many levels of government here,” Corbett says. “And I’m really concerned about the tuition increases that are being proposed at this point in time. And this is a way to save money and then allow the schools to govern themselves with a board of trustees.”

The schools are proposing tuition increases of seven percent that would continue for the next five years at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, while gradually decreasing at the University of Northern Iowa. Corbett says the board of trustees is used successfully by many nonprofit organizations, such as the Iowa Blue Ribbon Foundation of the Iowa State Fair.

“And that board is the oversight of the Blue Ribbon Foundation, they have an executive director. And so it’s similar to what’s done in the private sector and in the nonprofit sector,” Corbett explains. “We pay these presidents well over half-a-million — over a million dollars with benefits– and if you get a strong trustee board then they can manage that individual school.”

Corbett says the board of trustees system would still allow parents of students to have input on how the schools are run. “Well certainly you work directly with the universities. I mean this isn’t a unique proposal that hasn’t been tried or tested around the country,” Corbett says. “Actually, the University of Tennessee switched over from a regents system to a trustee system. And this year the University of Tennessee had its lowest tuition increase in 84 years.”

He says the under the current system when their are funding concerns, the governor blames the legislature, the legislature blames the regents, the regents blame the school presidents, and they turn it back on the politicians, while the Iowa students and their parents end up paying the bill.

“I think when the organizations, the universities, run themselves with the board of trustees it’s going to be more accountable because they are specifically worried about that particular university and whether that university is going to be competitive in the future or not,” according to Corbett.

An Iowa bussiness man who is the former president of the Board of Regents doesn’t agree with Corbett’s plan. Bruce Rastetter of Alden, was appointed to the board in 2011 and served as its president from 2013 until he decided to not seek another term this year.

“I think that’s really ill-conceived. I not sure Mr. Corbett knows enough about it to understand it,” Rastetter says. Rastetter says the Board of Regents has served the state well for the last 100 years despite the ongoing challenges it faces.

“It continues to suffer through the ups and downs of state funding. I suggest he should focus on the way that the state could support it more,” Rastetter says. “As public universities, that support is critical. To have three boards of trustees — you see it in other states — all competing with each other rather than a unified approach of three great public universities under a single board seems to make much more sense.”

The Board of Regents is currently looking for a new executive director to replace Bob Donley who retired. The position has drawn some criticism because the executive director’s salary is capped by the legislature, but the Board of Regents paid Donley more than the cap by using incentive bonuses.

University of Iowa tuition proposal faces opposition

By

Senator Joe Bolkcom speaking at the tuition forum.

University of Iowa president Bruce Harreld got some feedback from lawmakers and others Monday after presenting a proposal that raise tuition on undergraduate resident students by 7.08 percent each of the next 5 years.

State Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, says the increase is too much and will put a burden on students.

“The proposed 7 percent increase for the next 5 years will no doubt increase student debt, decrease access–especially to low income students and their families — and make it more difficult for first-generation students,” Bolkcom says. He says the proposal lets lawmakers and the administration off the hook for not providing enough state support for higher education.

“I recognize the rationale for it, it’s ‘we need to take care of ourselves because we’re not getting the support we need from the governor and the legislature,’ this proposal throws in the towel on the people of Iowa who have helped build these institutions,” Bolkcom says. “And I think it throws in the towel on the governor and legislature’s responsibility to support our public universities.” Bolkcom says the state could give more funding to the three state universities if it didn’t give so much money away to businesses.

“The primary reason for the decline in education funding — especially higher education — is runaway tax giveaways that have been self-inflicted by the governor and the general assembly,” according to Bolkcom. Senator Todd Bowman, a Democrat from Maquoketa, also spoke out against the proposal, saying it was asking too much of hardworking parents who support their kids.

Jacob Simpson

The U-I student body president Jacob Simpson says president Harreld has pushed for excellence at the university, but Simpson says this plan is not excellence.

“For our tuition to become as expensive as our peers is mediocrity,” Simpson says. “And raising tuition by seven percent over five years is not the only solution to the problem we face.” He suggests the university continue looking for ways to be more efficient and save money. And he says the state schools need to do a better job of making their case for state support.

Simpson says the Board of Regents and the universities haven’t reached their full potential in lobbying for more state money. “And I would add that we have not effectively made our case to the general Iowan about why they should fund our institutions,” Simpson says. He says he is not against smaller tuition increases that would help the university maintain its excellence.

The comments were made to the Board of Regents Tuition Task Force, which is looking at five-year tuition plans for the three state universities.