February 27, 2025 Meeting Recap
The Board of Regents met February 27, 2025 at the Board of Regents Office in Urbandale. Selected items discussed are outlined below. View the full agenda here.
Welcome Regent Gipple
The November meeting was the first regularly scheduled in-person meeting for Regent Lucy Gipple. Gipple, a student at UNI, was appointed by Governor Kim Reynolds earlier in February to fill the unexpired term of Abby Crow, who resigned in June 2024. Gipple serves as Vice Chair of the Free Speech and Student Affairs Committee and is a member of the Academic Affairs Committee.
Annual Graduation and Retention Report VIDEO
The Board received the Annual Graduation and Retention Report, detailing student numbers and year-by-year trends. The report illustrated positive movement for both graduation and retention trends, including the Regent Enterprise’s best-ever four-year graduation rate.
Read More: The Graduation and Retention Report
Iowa Workforce Grant and Incentive Program VIDEO
The Board approved the academic majors and high-demand jobs list for academic years 2025-26 and 2026-27. This was an extension and update of the Iowa Workforce Grant and Incentive Program launched during academic years 2023-24. The program is an award available to eligible Iowa resident students at Iowa’s public universities to receive grants to study in high-demand academic majors and accept high-demand jobs in-state upon graduation.
Read More: Iowa Workforce Grant and Incentive Program
Distance Education Report VIDEO
The Board received the annual Distance Education report, which showed sustained growth of the Regents online classes, extension and outreach programs and Regents resource centers. The growth in these areas demonstrates an expanded reach for Iowa’s public universities.
Read More: The Annual Distance Education Report
Governance, Evaluation and Human Resources Committee VIDEO
The Governance, Evaluation and HR Committee received the Span of Control, Human Resources, and Affirmative Action Reports. In addition, the committee approved policy manual revisions concerning degree revocation and use of social media. The committee also approved the creation of a new Regents Legislative Committee with Regent Christine Hensley as chair and Regents Sherry Bates, Greta Rouse and JC Risewick as members.
Property and Facilities Committee VIDEO
The Property and Facilities Committee approved numerous projects at all three universities, including UI Health Care master plan projects and the arena parking ramp project, various improvements to ISU’s Black Engineering Building, and the Courts Practice Facility at UNI. UI’s Memorial Union modernization project was tabled until a later date.
Academic Affairs Committee VIDEO
The Academic Affairs Committee approved a new BS in Integrated Health Sciences at Iowa State, suspended admission for ISU’s PhD in rural, agricultural, technological and environmental history and terminated its MS in transportation program. Additionally, the committee approved termination of UI’s BA in social justice and BA in American studies programs. The committee also approved ISU’s request to award honorary degrees to Larry Buss, farmer and retired chief hydrologic engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and John “JR” Robinson, Grammy Award winning drummer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honoree.
Investment and Finance Committee VIDEO
The Investment and Finance Committee received the quarterly investment report from Marquette.
Free Speech and Student Affairs Committee VIDEO
The Free Speech and Student Affairs Committee received the annual student financial aid report.
UI Health Care Committee VIDEO
The committee received the UIHC presentation from VP for Medical Affairs and Dean of the Carver College of Medicine Denise Jamieson, Associate VP of UI Health Care and UIHC CEO Bradley Haws, and Associate VP for Finance and UIHC CFO Mark Henrichs.
Audit and Compliance Committee VIDEO
The Board received updates on the UI Health Care audit and internal audit reports issued from Regents Chief Audit Executive Chad Sharp.
