February 24, 2021 Meeting Recap

February 24, 2021

The Board of Regents held a virtual meeting February 24, 2021. Key items reviewed by committees and the Board are outlined below. Click here for the complete agenda.

Free Speech Recommendations
The Board’s approved 10 recommendations put forth by the Free Speech Committee, composed of Regents Barker, Boettger and Leist, which was formed last November. The committee recommendations will serve to strengthen Board free speech efforts on campus and provide guidance for Board policy and best practices.

Read the Free Speech Committee’s recommendations

Graduation and Retention Report
Regent university retention rates and six-year graduation rates are largely unchanged from last year, while steady improvement has been shown in time to degree metrics. Eighty-eight percent of the entering class of 2019 returned for its second year, well above national averages for four-year private non-profits (74), four-year publics (71) and four-year private for-profit (42). 

Residence System Governance Report
The Board received the Residence System Governance Report, including a first reading of AY 2021-2022 room and board rate proposals. Double room and meal plan rates are planned to increase 2.69 percent at the University of Iowa, decrease 1.14 percent at Iowa State University and remain flat at the University of Northern Iowa. A vote on final approval of proposed residence system rates will be held at the April Board meeting.

Long Hall Renovation
Approval for the Iowa School for the Deaf’s Long Hall renovation project was granted. The project, funded by $4.325 million in state appropriations, will modernize the ISD High School and Science Center.

Read More: ISD Long Hall Renovations

Personnel Appointments
The Board approved appointments of Kevin Kregel as UI executive VP and Provost, Amy-Kristof Brown as Dean of the UI Tippie College of Business, Elizabeth Tovar as UI executive officer for diversity, equity and inclusion and Kristin Woods as UNI senior associate VP for enrollment management.

Honorary Degree Confirmation
The Board approved the UI request to award an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to Rita Frances Dove. Dove, a poet, essayist and fiction writer, earned an MFA from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop and was named United States Poet Laureate from 1993-95.

Audit and Compliance Committee
Dan Koraleski from KPMG presented that firm’s external audit of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Board Chief Audit Executive Deb Johnston presented internal audits.

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Committee
The committee received the UIHC presentation from VP for Medical Affairs and Dean of the Carver College of Medicine Brooks Jackson, Associate VP of UI Health Care and UIHC CEO Suresh Gunasekaran, and Associate VP for Finance and UIHC CFO Bradley Haws. In addition, Rainbo Hultman, assistant professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, presented on brain-wide electrical networks for complex brain disorder therapies.

Other Committees
The Academic Affairs and Student and Campus Affairs Committees held a joint meeting February 17. The Property and Facilities and Investment and Finance Committees held meetings on that day, as well.
 

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