September 23, 2020 Meeting Recap

September 23, 2020

The Board of Regents held a virtual meeting September 23, 2020. Key items reviewed by committees and the Board are outlined below. Click here for the complete agenda.    Click here to watch the meeting in its entirety.

FY 2022 State Appropriations Request
The Board approved FY 2022 state appropriations requests totaling $642.87 million, including a continuation of last year’s appropriation, plus incremental increases for the higher education general fund, the special schools and other education appropriations, and for economic development. Specifically, the Board requested $18 million in incremental funding for the higher education general fund, including $7 million each for Iowa and Iowa State and $4 million for UNI. In addition, the Board requested restoration of the $8 million cut from last session.

Related: FY 2022 Appropriations Request

Regents Advisory Group Recommendation
The Regents Advisory Group, formed April 30, 2020 and charged with finding administrative and academic collaborations and efficiencies across the Regent enterprise, recommended a moratorium on campus projects that result in a net increase of campus square footage. The recommendation, which the Board passed, takes effect immediately and sunsets June 30, 2022.

Related: Advisory Group Recommends No New Square Footage on Campus

FY 2021 Athletics Budgets
Gary Barta, Jamie Pollard and David Harris, directors of athletics at UI, ISU and UNI, respectively, presented FY 2021 athletics department budgets to the Board. Football delays and capacity reductions, among other issues, resulted in drops in revenue at all three universities. All three departments noted savings through operating budget reductions, salary reductions, or facility debt service savings. 

Related: Athletics Budgets Affected by COVID-19 Pandemic

Personnel Appointments
The Board appointed Sara Sanders as the University of Iowa interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

Audit and Compliance Committee
Representatives from the Auditor of State’s office presented the FY 2020 state audit plan in addition to state audit reports. Regents Chief Audit Executive Patrice Sayre presented internal audits, as well as the FY 2020 audit progress and FY 2021 internal audit plans.

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, Stanley Perlman, Mark Stinski Chair in Virology, presented slides on Coronavirus research progress at UIHC.

Other Committees
The Academic Affairs, Property and Facilities, Investment and Finance, and Campus and Student Affairs committees met September 17. 

Bond Sales
The Board approved the sale and award of $15.1 million in UNI dormitory revenue refunding bonds, resulting in present value savings of nearly $1.4 million.

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