Meeting Rundown
The Iowa Board of Regents will meet February 25-26 at the University of Iowa Levitt Center for University Advancement in Iowa City. Selected agenda items are outlined in brief below. Open session portions of the meeting will be livestreamed on the Board’s YouTube channel.
Meeting Background
The February meeting marks the first in-person, on-campus meeting of the year and the first ever under President Robert Cramer and President Pro Tem Kurt Tjaden, who were elected as Board leadership last December.
This year, the February meeting will host mid-year evaluations of the University presidents and executive director. In previous years, these evaluations would occur during a January meeting. As part of its long-range meeting planning, the Board is combining the January meeting and the virtual February meeting into a regular, on-campus meeting going forward. Mid-year evaluations will occur Wednesday morning.
Further, to comply with House File 440 (2025), the Board will hear a first reading of tuition and mandatory fees this week. House File 440 requires the Board to set tuition by April 30. The first reading of tuition and fee rates will occur Thursday mid-morning. Final action is scheduled for the April meeting in Ames.
Read more on 2026-27 Tuition and Fees
In addition, the Board will hear strategic plan updates from the three universities, receive the graduation and retention report, and will close the open session portion of the meeting by receiving an updated economic impact study from Lightcast, a labor market analytics firm.
Welcome New Regents
In another first, Regents Peter Cownie and Steve Lacy will attend their first meeting as Regents this week. Cownie and Lacy were appointed by Governor Kim Reynolds to fill the unexpired terms of Regents David Barker and Sherry Bates, respectively. Cownie is a former member of the Iowa House of Representatives (2008-18). Lacy is the former CEO of Meredith Corporation.
Updates
President Pro Tem and Investment and Finance Committee Chair Tjaden will deliver an update on the Board’s Revenue Enhancement and Productivity Study (REAPS). Created last December, REAPS is a comprehensive review of revenue streams and cost efficiencies across the Regents Enterprise. Tjaden will deliver his remarks during the Investment and Finance Committee meeting, scheduled for Wednesday at 2:50 p.m.
Additionally, Regent Christine Hensley, Chair of the Center for Intellectual Freedom Advisory Council, will provide an update on the center’s activities in 2026. Hensley will provide her update near the end of the Wednesday open session.
Academic Affairs
The Academic Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear requests for numerous new programs, department and program changes and program termination or suspensions. In addition, the committee will receive the annual distance education report, an update on low-enrollment and workforce alignment efforts and a University of Iowa presentation on academic advising.
Read more on distance education at Iowa’s public universities
