Regents approve revised strategic plan, more changes may follow

The Iowa Board of Regents approved changes to Iowa State's 2022-31 strategic plan, as well as the strategic plans for the universities of Iowa and Northern Iowa, during its Feb. 27 meeting. Regent David Barker said he would suggest additional changes for the board staff to discuss with the universities.

The most notable change to Iowa State's strategic plan is a reworking of the second of the plan's five aspirational statements: To be the university that cultivates a welcoming and respectful environment where all students, faculty and staff flourish.

The board had directed the review to comply with a 2024 state law prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices at the regent universities as well as DEI work broadly defined by the law. Board president Sherry Bates acknowledged Feb. 27 that "significant progress" has been made to comply with the law, but she said "we have more to do," particularly with the universities' websites.

She directed the universities (PDF) to remove current or archived web pages referencing DEI and to work with board office staff to determine pages that may need to be revised.

Bates also referenced a Feb. 24 letter from Gov. Kim Reynolds that directs each regent university to identify its contracts with the federal government that includes DEI provisions. The list should include the dollar amount of each contract and a percentage estimate of the work yet to be completed. The universities' lists are to be completed by March 6.

Bates also noted that several current bills in this spring's Legislature would direct the board to review programs for how they fit with high-demand jobs and workforce needs. She directed the board office staff to work with the universities to begin this review and complete it by the board's November meeting.

Later in the meeting, the regents approved an updated list of approximately 255 academic majors across the three universities eligible for the Iowa Workforce Grant and Incentive Program for academic years 2025-26 and 2026-27, for their capacity to train students for high-demand jobs (as provided by Iowa Workforce Development). Grant sizes depend on projected participants and available funds, but in-state juniors and seniors may receive a grant for up to four semesters, plus an additional incentive payment if they accept a high-demand job and work full time for 12 months. In the first year of the program (2023-24), 3,393 students received a total of more than $6.6 million in awards, distributed by the Iowa College Aid Commission. Last year, the high-demand jobs filled most frequently with grant recipients were elementary teachers (351 grants) and computer occupations (148 grants).

Regent Jim Lindenmayer, who worked in the state's community college system for 34 years and chairs the regents' academic affairs committee, noted the three universities have closed 67 programs and developed 88 new academic programs since 2015, with a handful currently pausing admissions while they're reviewed.

"I appreciate the universities looking inward and making these tough decisions. That takes work, introspection and dedication," he said.

Third 'degree of the future'

The regents gave final approval to an interdisciplinary bachelor of science degree in integrated health sciences, led by the departments of genetics, development and cell biology and food science and human nutrition and the third approved degree program in a 2022-31 strategic plan-funded initiative, Degrees of the Future.

Lot parking permit rates aren't increasing

The regents completed a first reading of proposed parking permit rates for the fiscal year that begins July 1, and will vote on them at the April meeting. Campus parking permit prices and parking fines would not change. All outstanding bonds on the ISU parking system are paid off. Permit rates for the Memorial Union (MU) parking ramp, which is operated by the MU separately from ISU's parking division, would go up 3%, as proposed. Hourly rates in the ramp would not change in FY26.

Memorial Union parking ramp: Proposed permit rates

New regents committee

The board approved a new standing legislative committee that will be active during the legislative season to propose the regents' official position on pending legislation. On average, the board registers a position on more than 300 bills each year. Regent Christine Hensley will chair the committee. Other members are the board president and president pro tem (regents Sherry Bates and Greta Rouse, respectively) and regent JC Risewick. Executive director Mark Braun and the universities' state relations officers will staff it. The committee will hold weekly public meetings, and the committee chair will give reports to the board at its February and April meetings. 

Student housing rates for next fall

The regents took a first look at Iowa State's proposal to raise residence hall and apartment rates an average of 6.5% for the year that begins July 1, and will vote in April. That ranges from a $208 annual increase (to $3,408) for a two-bedroom unfurnished University Village apartment to a $512 annual increase (to $8,386) for a single suite in Eaton, Martin and Geoffroy residence halls. Academic year meal plans and flex meal plans (25-, 50- and 100-meal packages) all would go up 5%, as proposed.

When combined, the proposed rate for a standard double room (without air conditioning) and the unlimited dining center meal plan is $10,880, a 5.8% increase over this year.

From 2021 through 2024 the residence department intentionally kept increases below inflation as families recovered from the COVID pandemic. Last year, residence leaders announced a new strategy in order to make needed facility improvements and reduce deferred maintenance costs.

Residence leaders are projecting an overall occupancy rate of 96% over the next five years -- or about 10,360 students in on-campus halls and apartments. Director of university housing Amelia Cepeda told the board that to help meet that demand, they'll add 250 spaces this fall by converting most of the current single rooms in Wallace Hall to double occupancy.

Change to the admissions application

On Feb. 13, the gender selection box in Iowa State's application for admission was reduced to three options: Female, male, prefer not to answer. Members of the Legislature sent a communication (PDF) to the board last month requesting the change to align with the Trump administration's two-gender policy. Braun clarified that applicants to the regent universities' common app portal will still see multiple genders since a vendor operates the site.

Other Iowa State requests

In other business, the regents approved Iowa State requests to:

• Award two honorary Doctor of Science degrees at spring graduation ceremonies. The first is to Larry Buss, alumnus, western Iowa farmer and retired chief hydrologic engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, in recognition of extraordinary achievements in engineering and agriculture and his work as a staunch advocate for farmers and rural communities. Faculty in the agricultural and biosystems engineering department submitted Buss' nomination. The second is to Creston native and Grammy Award winner John "JR" Robinson, the music industry's most recorded drummer (his discography includes more than 10,000 recording sessions for the music, television and film industries), in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the music industry. Faculty in the music and theatre department nominated Robinson for the honorary degree.
• Begin planning to renovate an estimated 12,000 square feet in Black Engineering Building for the mechanical engineering department. The space will be vacated this summer by the industrial manufacturing and systems engineering department's move to the Therkildsen building. The renovation will focus on research labs, offices and support spaces, and private gifts will cover its estimated $12.6 million-$14.2 million cost.
• Renovate three parking lots, including underground utility and lot lighting improvements and new sidewalks, this summer. The three lots are north of Black Engineering (lot 8), east of Atanasoff (16) and east of Physics (36). The combined $2.75 million projects will be paid for with parking and utility system funds.
• Renovate six second-floor teaching labs in the Human Nutritional Sciences Building for the Textile Science Teaching Lab, which is located temporarily in Bessey Hall during the LeBaron Hall replacement. The $2.35 million project, funded with private gifts, will locate the teaching lab next to the newly renovated Textiles Science Research Laboratory. Work begins later this spring.
• Suspend admission to the Ph.D. program in rural, agricultural, technological and environmental history, for history department budget reasons, and as the first step of a five-year sunset plan for the program.
• End the interdisciplinary master of science in transportation program, College of Engineering, due to declining student interest. The program's last graduates were in spring 2020. Future students could apply to the civil engineering major and specialize in transportation engineering.