June 4, 2020 Meeting Recap

June 4, 2020

News Item Image

The Board of Regents held a virtual meeting June 4, 2020. Key items reviewed by committees and the Board are outlined below. Click here for the complete agenda

2020-21 Tuition and Fees
The Board voted to keep tuition and fees flat for the Fall 2020 semester, noting the importance of financial predictability for students, families and the institutions. The Board may re-evaluate rates for the Spring 2021 semester once more information on the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is available. 

Student leadership from the three universities commented on the proposed freeze. Speakers included Paul Esker, graduate and professional student government relations chair at the University of Iowa, Connor Woof, undergraduate student body president at UI, Eleanor Field, president of the ISU graduate and professional student senate, Morgan Fritz, undergraduate student body president and Elle Boeding, UNI undergraduate student body president.

Board of Regents Advisory Group
The Board ratified the establishment of the Board of Regents Advisory Group, first proposed at the April 30, 2020 meeting by President Mike Richards. The group, co-chaired by Regents David Barker and Nancy Dunkel, will look for collaborations and efficiencies across the Regent enterprise. Regents Nancy Boettger and Jim Lindenmayer also were appointed to the group.

Non-Regent representation included Carol Faber, ISU Faculty Senate President; UI Provost Montse Fuentes; Amy Petersen, UNI Faculty Senate Chair; ISU Provost Jonathan Wickert; UNI Provost Jim Wohlpart; Joseph Yockey, UI Faculty Senate President; Pam Cain, ISU Senior VP of Operations and Finance; Michael Hagar, UNI Senior VP of Finance and Operations and Rod Lehnertz, UI Senior VP of Finance and Operations.

Campus and Student Affairs Committee
The Committee received a presentation on campus and student life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Institutional vice presidents, including Sarah Hansen at UI, Paula Knudson at UNI and Martino Harmon at ISU presented. Assistant Administrator John Cool presented on campus and student life at the Iowa School for the Deaf.

Personnel Appointments
The Board appointed Erin Baldwin as Iowa State’s interim senior vice president for student affairs and Dr. Aragula Rao as Iowa State’s Interim vice president for research.

Academic Affairs Committee
Requests to add entrepreneurship to the names of the ISU Department of Management and the UNI Department of Marketing were approved. These name changes highlight the importance of entrepreneurship as a strategic focus of both departments.

Read More: Focusing on Entrepreneurship

Audit and Compliance Committee
State and internal audit reports were noted by Chair Nancy Dunkel.

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Committee
The committee received the UIHC presentation on the financial implications of COVID-19 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.

Investment and Finance Committee
The committee received the quarterly investment and cash management report from Marquette Associates, Inc.

Property and Facilities Committee
The Board approved three projects at the University of Iowa, including a new women’s soccer complex and upgrades to the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. Iowa State’s plan to convert its coal-fired power plant boilers to natural gas received permission to proceed with project planning.
 

« Back