Iowa lawmakers advanced a flurry of bills aimed at reforming the state’s three public universities, controlled by the state Board of Regents, during a slate of hearings on Tuesday.
Iowa lawmakers in the House and Senate advanced bills that would create a school of intellectual freedom at the University of Iowa, require the Board of Regents to review all academic programs at the state’s three public universities to see if they meet workforce needs, and change the general education requirements for all three regent universities.
The three bills considered Tuesday were just a few of 15 bills aimed at reforming Iowa’s higher education system brought by a newly formed Iowa House Higher Education Committee. The committee is chaired by Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, who has led the Iowa Republicans’ critique of state-run universities.
More bills are set to be considered later this week, including bills that would cap tuition increases at 3 percent per year and prohibit universities from requiring classes on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Lawmakers advance bill to create school of intellectual freedom at UI
A panel of Iowa lawmakers advanced a bill that would create a school of intellectual freedom at the UI on Tuesday.
The bill, House Study Bill 52, would require the school to teach and research “the historical ideas, traditions, and texts that have shaped the American constitutional order and society.”
The bill would also task the school with offering school-wide programing on free speech and civil discourse, work to expand intellectual diversity, and foster civic engagement. The bill requires the university hire at least five tenure-eligible professors for the department, though they can teach in other departments as well.
The bill was introduced as a committee bill by Collins, but former Iowa Gov. Terry Brandstad, a UI alum, delivered opening comments at the hearing on the bill Tuesday.
Brandstad said the bill was introduced because “the future of our country is dependent on citizens that are well-informed and cherish and celebrate the American heritage.”
“That’s something that I think is really important for our country, especially in this day and age when we see a lot of concern and a lot of lack of respect for other viewpoints,” Brandstad said.
Brandstad pointed to the University of Northern Iowa’s decision to create a Center for Civic Education in September 2024 as the inspiration for the current bill.
During the hearing, Keith Saunders, a lobbyist for the Iowa Board of Regents, said the UI has submitted plans to create a Center for Civic Dialogue and Leadership for consideration at the regents’ February meeting.
However, Iowa lawmakers still advanced the bill to codify the creation of the school, following similar practices in other Republican-controlled states.
Iowa isn’t the first state to require a university to create a school of intellectual freedom; lawmakers in states like Texas, Florida, Ohio, and Tennessee have required the creation of similar schools.
Emma Denney, a recent UI grad, said they find the new school is pointless given the history and other curricula offered at the university.
“I find this a laughable and ridiculous waste of money, time, and resources, and I frankly find it ideologically motivated and pathetic,” Denney said. “I don’t understand how you can look at the offerings of the University of Iowa and not see all of these ideas already represented there, including through American studies, including through all of the history curricula that are offered. This is just pointless.”
Collins and Rep. Heather Hora, R-Washington, signed off on the bill while Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, opposed the bill.
Senate lawmakers advance bill to require review of academic programs
A panel of Iowa Senate lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday to require the Iowa Board of Regents to review all academic programs at the state’s three public universities to investigate if they meet the state’s current and future workforce needs.
The bill, Senate Study Bill 1024, requires the regents to submit a report to the legislature and the governor by Nov. 30. The bill also requires the regents to recommend if the programs should remain unchanged, eliminated, or consider changes.
The bill would require the Board of Regents to work with the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Department of Workforce Development on the bill.
However, Carolann Jensen, a lobbyist for the Iowa Board of Regents, said the regents review every academic program to ensure it is up to par and meeting needs every seven years. She also said the regents are always working to ensure they meet workforce needs in the state.
“We’re ever-evolving, trying to keep up with the job market, keep up with students and what they want, because we want them to come here, stay here, and thrive in Iowa,” Jensen said.
She also pointed out that the regents have a website that lists the expected starting salary and what students can expect to make five to 10 years out. The website was created after Iowa lawmakers passed House File 135 in 2023 that required the information be posted by the regents.
Jensen additionally pointed out that Iowa’s three public universities boast high job placement rates following graduation.
Andy Conlin, a lobbyist with the conservative Cicero Institute and Foundation for Government Accountability Action, said the lawmakers should move forward with the bill and make sure that universities and lawmakers stay transparent about the return on investment students are getting from these programs.
“I think, first of all, reviewing your programs and services, whether you’re talking about the regents’ universities or any other part of state government, on a fairly regular basis is not a bad idea,” Conlin said. “We should always be looking at what we offer Iowans from a state government perspective and determine if it makes the most sense for the marketplace in which it’s operating.”
Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, and the ranking member of the Senate Education Committee said he supports the review, but he cautions being too focused on workforce needs as they are hard to predict.
“It is certainly important for our universities and all other institutions, really, from time to time to review the effectiveness of their programs, and one certainly very valuable and important outcome is to give our students employable skills,” Quirmbach said.
He said he hopes the review not only includes employability as a metric but also builds career skills among other goals universities serve.
Sen. Julian Garrett, R-Pella, said he supports the bill because ensuring students have all the appropriate skills is important to make sure universities are offering a quality product.
“With the taxpayers spending millions of dollars, I think they’ve got a right to expect the best product that we can come up with for our students,” Garrett said.
The bill advanced with all three lawmakers including Sen. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia, signing off on the bill.
Iowa lawmakers advance bill changing general education requirements
Iowa House lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday that would alter and standardize general education requirements at Iowa’s three public universities.
The bill, House Study Bill 63, would require Iowa university students to take at least 36 semester hours of general education courses and not be required to take more than 40 semester hours.
The bill would allow the Iowa Board of Regents to waive the minimum number of hours outlined in the bill if a specific major requires a concentration in one specific general education subgroup. The bill would also require students to take at least three semester hours in Western heritage and American heritage classes.
The bill would also require that required classes not distort historical events or teach “identity politics or is based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, or privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States of America or the state of Iowa.”
Connie Ryan, the executive director of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, said they are opposed to the bill because professors should be able to teach and have open discussion about important topics regarding American history and institutions.
“Professors are educated to be able to teach our students in the most professional way,” Ryan said. “If they’re going to teach theories around systemic racism, sexism, oppression, or privilege, and allow for open and free discussion on those subjects, which are important subjects in our nation and in our nation’s history, they ought to be able to allow for conversation that provides the best discussion and the best learning.”
Collins, the chair of the panel of lawmakers and who introduced the bill, said he came up with the 36 semester-hour number by looking at other states, but did not consult education professionals on the bill in response to questions from Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, and ranking member of the Higher Education Committee.
Collins and Rep. Steve Holt, R-Denison, signed onto the bill, with Wilburn opposed.
The law would require the changes starting fall 2027.