The Iowa Board of Regents voted Thursday to direct the state’s three public universities to cut diversity, equity and inclusion programs that are not necessary for research contracts or accreditation.
It was one of 10 recommendations adopted by the nine-member board that oversees the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Iowa, and Iowa State University after Republican lawmakers directed them to review DEI spending and programs earlier this year.
Regent David Barker was on the three-member study group that developed the recommendations. He said any bureaucracy that has grown rapidly like university DEI programs needs a close look.
“Our universities will continue to be welcoming institutions,” Barker said Thursday at the board meeting in Cedar Falls. “They will not discriminate on the basis of any of these categories whether we retain or eliminate DEI programs we reviewed.”
Regent Nancy Dunkel voted against the recommendations. She said the universities should do more than the bare minimum for DEI because it’s important for the success of the schools, their students, and Iowa’s workforce.
“Our decisions should be what’s best for our schools in cooperation with their leaders,” Dunkel said. “Instead, we are micromanaging their decisions and imposing new political intrusions on freedom.”
Jim Lindenmayer, another regent who helped develop the recommendations, said he does not think the new rules will inhibit “DEI intentions.” He said they are vague enough to allow universities to continue serving their students and to address concerns from Republican legislators.
Still, Lindenmayer said he believes this conversation will have a chilling effect on hiring.
“But I don’t think it’s anything that’s avoidable,” he said. “This was a train coming down the track, and in some ways, we were forced to address it. But I think that’s a good thing.”
Among the 10 recommendations is a request that the three universities explore strategies for advancing diversity of intellectual perspectives among job applicants.
Regent Abby Crow said that would contradict the order to cut other DEI initiatives.
“I don’t think we can pick and choose which aspects of diversity that we want to encourage more at the universities,” Crow said. “I think that if we want these hiring practices to be broadly universal, equal, I don’t understand how uplifting one and reducing others is fair.”
Barker disagreed. He said the universities have done a good job of boosting other forms of diversity, but not intellectual diversity.
Crow, who represents students, voted against three of the recommendations.
The regents are also asking the UI, ISU and UNI to eliminate DEI-specific job responsibilities that are not necessary for compliance, accreditation, or student and employee support services. They must ensure offices that support diversity or multicultural affairs are marketed as support services for all students.
The DEI study group did not find evidence of policies requiring DEI statements from job applicants or requiring disclosure of pronouns. But the regents are recommending that the universities assure no one is required to disclose their pronouns or is evaluated based on their participation in DEI initiatives.
The regents are also asking the universities to explore a proposal to establish a free speech and civic education initiative. The remaining recommendations are generally affirming existing practices and policies.
The universities are expected to submit their plans for implementing these changes in April 2024.
How did the review of DEI programs begin?
During the last legislative session, Republican lawmakers advanced a bill that would have banned the public universities from spending money on DEI offices and professionals.
At a hearing on that bill, Board of Regents officials said a ban on such programs could open them up to more lawsuits, impact federal research contracts, and affect the universities’ standing with national accrediting bodies and the NCAA.
Soon after, Board of Regents President Michael Richards announced in March that the universities would begin studying DEI programs and pause any new initiatives.
Rather than banning DEI programs, the Iowa Legislaturepassed an education budget that directed the Board of Regents to conduct a comprehensive study of DEI programs. It also put a hiring freeze on DEI positions.
Regent David Barker said Thursday he did not know if lawmakers would continue pursuing changes to DEI programs after the regents adopted changes on their own.
