House Higher Education Committee to consider bills on academic offerings, DEI changes
Higher education bills slated for subcommittee meetings touch on reviewing and changing public university courses and course requirements. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
The Iowa House of Representatives' new higher education committee is considering various bills aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion at public, private and community colleges, as well as legislation to review and change academic programs and requirements.
Legislation would review academic offerings, make changes in courses or propose new ones, as well as further limit diversity, equity and inclusion programming in higher education. Many introduced bills have subcommittee meetings scheduled for this and next week.
House Study Bill 50 would require the Iowa Board of Regents review every undergraduate and graduate academic program at each of the three state universities to 'determine whether and to what extent each academic program aligns with current and future workforce needs in Iowa,' according to the legislation.
The review, done with the aid of the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Workforce Development, must be completed by the board's November meeting this year. The board must make recommendations in the report for whether or how each reviewed program should be changed or if it should be eliminated.
The legislation stated the report and its recommendations would need to go to Gov. Kim Reynolds and the General Assembly by Nov. 30. A subcommittee meeting for the bill is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Jan. 29.
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House Study Bill 52 would create and set staffing and programming standards for a 'school of intellectual freedom' at the University of Iowa. The legislation would place this new school in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and require at least five faculty members be hired to teach within it.
Teaching and research through the school would focus on 'the historical ideas, traditions and texts that have shaped the American constitutional order and society,' according to the legislation. The school would also develop campus-wide programming on free speech and civil discourse, foster intellectual diversity and encourage civic engagement.
An academic council formed by the Iowa Board of Regents would assist in selecting a dean, who would be required to submit an annual report on the school to the governor and the Legislature. A subcommittee meeting on the bill will take place at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 28.
Labeled the 'Core Curriculum Act,' House Study Bill 63 would require the board of regents to develop a policy for general education requirements and provide the board with the contents of that policy. It would also stop universities from implementing any general education requirements not listed in the bill.
In addition to the requirements of English and composition, math and statistics, natural and social sciences, the policy would also include courses in a world language, the humanities, Western heritage and American heritage. Exceptions to these course requirements would include those enrolled in a program lasting three years or less and students determined by the board to be in a 'complex field' or in need of additional focus on their main courses.
According to the bill, these general education courses cannot 'distort significant historical events or include any curriculum or other material that teaches 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.' The legislation states teachers' academic freedoms will not be limited by these policies.
A subcommittee meeting has been scheduled for the bill at 8 a.m. Jan. 28.
A separate new course would be created and required for graduation through House Study Bill 56.
Students earning their bachelor's degree at a state university would need to take a course in American history and civil government, according to the bill, which would include instruction on the United States Constitution and other founding documents, the development and principles of the U.S. government, how the U.S. government compares to others and 'the study of and devotion to American institutions and ideals.'
A subcommittee will discuss the bill at 4 p.m. on Jan. 28.
House Study Bill 60 would bar private universities from starting or maintaining DEI offices, with the risk of becoming ineligible for the Iowa Tuition Grant program if they do not comply.
Like the legislation that prohibits state universities from keeping their own DEI offices, exemptions to the new bill include departments and programs required for accreditation or to comply with state or federal law. House Study Bill 61, which will be brought up in subcommittee at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 29, would add community colleges to the legislation passed last year on DEI offices for public universities.
Perceived violations of the law would be directed to the Iowa attorney general, according to the bill. If the university hasn't either corrected itself or proven there was no violation within 30 days of receiving notice, it would stop qualifying for the Iowa Tuition Grant program starting the next school year. Eligibility would be restored the next school year as well if a correction is made.
A subcommittee will discuss the bill at 12:15 p.m. Feb. 4.
House Study Bill 62 would require that at least half of funding for the Iowa Tuition Grant program go to students enrolling in degree programs relating to 'high-wage and high-demand jobs.'
The Workforce Development Board would work with the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities to form a list of eligible job fields, according to the bill. A subcommittee will discuss the legislation at noon on Jan. 30.
Iowa private higher education officials have previously expressed concerns about how changes to the Iowa Tuition Grant program could affect their institutions and students, but have indicated that they're willing to work with the higher education committee and provide them with the information and answers they require.
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