Study group recommends housing allowance for new president

Faculty professional development requests for the year that begins July 1 and a recommendation to provide a housing stipend, not housing at the Knoll, to the next president are on the agenda when the Iowa Board of Regents meets on campus Nov. 12-13. And in a closed session meeting Nov. 11, the regents will interview the two finalists for Iowa State's presidency and are expected to announce a new president by the end of the day. The meeting agenda is online and open portions of the meeting will be livestreamed on the regents website.

Faculty professional development

Iowa State will seek approval for 35 faculty requests for professional development assignments during fiscal year 2027. It includes 14 requests for fall semester 2026, 13 requests for spring 2027 and eight requests for the full academic year. The roster represents 2.1% of ISU faculty eligible for an assignment next year; board guidance caps participation at 3%.

These assignments release ISU faculty from teaching and service responsibilities; mentoring current graduate students and post-docs should continue.

Eligibility criteria at the three regent universities vary a bit. At Iowa State, all faculty employed at least half-time are eligible to apply. There is no requirement for length of service, however priority is given to accomplished senior faculty, those seeking competitive fellowships (e.g., Fulbright Award) and faculty who have not received a professional development assignment in the last five years.

Presidential housing recommendation

Since the board's Sept. 18 meeting, a nine-member committee evaluated housing options for the Iowa State president. Co-chaired by regent Kurt Tjaden and senior vice president for operations and finance Sean Reeder, the group's report to the board summarizes the pros and cons for three options (PDF):

• (Recommended): Provide a monthly housing stipend (an estimated $5,000) for the president to lease or purchase a home within about a 12-mile radius of campus. According to president search consultant AGB, the trend in higher education is toward universities offering a stipend to their president for living expenses. The president is then responsible for all living costs (mortgage, furniture, insurance, utilities, yard, snow removal, etc.).
  According to the report, an adequate inventory of executive-level homes (or lots) exists within the defined geographic area and recommended stipend.
• Undertake a wall-to-wall gutting of the Knoll's three floors "to remedy all known/anticipated environmental, functional and life-safety issues" and restore the Knoll as a private, executive residence for the president's family. It no longer would include public event spaces.
• Build a 4,000 square-foot executive-level residence for the president and family on other available university property, for example, adjacent to Veenker golf course, the ISU Arboretum or several nearby university-owned farms.

The requested action is only that the regents receive the report; no next step is suggested. At its July 30 meeting, the board directed each university's senior leader for operations to complete a facility analysis of their campus' presidential residence. Iowa State's timeline is compressed due to the active presidential search.

Building project requests

Iowa State also will seek board permission to begin planning for two significant projects:

• The first phase of a new food production facility for ISU Dining to replace the Knapp Storms commons facility in the Towers complex at the south end of Welch Avenue. Estimated to cost $20.5 million to $23 million, it would house a central bakery and kitchen to support all facets of ISU Dining: residential dining centers, retail markets, cafes and catering. The proposed location is south of the Wallace and Wilson residence halls. University auxiliary funds from ISU Dining and building renewal funds from the residence department would pay for the project.
• An estimated $20 million to $22 million renovation of the natatorium portion of State Gym. Following a recent assessment of the pool area, the work would require state building code compliance upgrades, mechanical systems replacement and remediation of the building envelope (walls, roof and windows). Doing all the work at the same time, rather than in phases, is preferred to minimize the time the pool is out of use. The cost would be covered with university auxiliary funds, president's funds and ISU Treasurer temporary investment income.

Other business

The latest biennial faculty activities report (PDF), a self-report survey of all full-time faculty at the regent universities, was completed during the spring 2025 semester. At Iowa State, the response rate was 86%. Once unusable surveys were removed, the final response rate was 76%. Among the Iowa State respondents, tenured and tenure-track faculty members reported working 54.9 hours per week, term faculty 49.9 hours and clinical track faculty 49.2 hours. The distribution of those hours across student instruction, scholarship and research, clinical work, outreach/service, administrative service and professional development varied among the three faculty groups. 

The board will receive a 24-page report on the merits of a tuition guarantee program (PDF), in which students pay the same tuition rate for up to three years equal to their first year. In response to a mandate from the 2025 Iowa Legislature, in April board president Sherry Bates appointed regents David Barker and Chris Hensley to lead a tuition study group. The report is due to Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Legislature by Nov. 30. Generally, it acknowledges benefits to enrollment and student retention, and financial stability challenges to universities.

The board also will receive a report summarizing a review of all academic programs' alignment with workforce needs (PDF). In February, Bates directed board staff and university provost office employees to conduct the review, which included reviewing best practices nationally, collecting and analyzing data, and seeking feedback from external stakeholders.

Oral reports to board members

These presentations are scheduled, to either the full board or board committees:

• Existing options for accelerated pathway to a bachelor's degree, by associate provosts including Ann Marie VanderZanden, to the academic affairs committee, 10:30 a.m. Wednesday
• First Amendment training, by university representatives including Rob Schweers, office of the provost, to the free speech and student affairs committee, 9:45 a.m. Wednesday
• University of Northern Iowa campus career services, to the free speech and student affairs committee, 9:45 a.m. Wednesday
• Campus safety and security, by public safety leaders, including associate vice president for public safety Michael Newton, to the free speech and student affairs committee, 9:45 a.m. Wednesday
• Fall enrollment trends, by board office staff member Jason Pontius, to the full board, 2:30 p.m. Wednesday
• Ames Laboratory, by director Karl Mueller, to the full board, 2:30 p.m. Wednesday