The state Board of Regents’ Transparency Task Force will hold several public hearings throughout Iowa in the coming weeks.

The first of four public hearings will take place at Johnston High School in Johnston at 6 p.m. April 17. Iowans have the option of participating in the public hearing through several Iowa Communication Network locations.

Dates and Iowa Communication Network locations for the following public hearings in Council Bluffs, Muscatine, and Dubuque will be announced next week, according to a press release.

The panel chose these locations rather than Ames, Iowa City, or Cedar Falls as a way to reach as many Iowans as possible, a regent official said.

The Transparency Task Force, which was first proposed by Regent President Craig Lang, conducted its first meeting on April 5. The force is composed of officials from each regent university, the state Legislature, the regents, and the public.