Latest news with #SherryBates
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UI will shutter Division of Access, Opportunity and Diversity following Regent directive
The University of Iowa will soon close its Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity at the direction of the Iowa Board of Regents, with any division functions not required by law or accrediting bodies set for review and elimination. The university announced Thursday in a news release the division will close on March 27, which will result in three employees being moved to other areas of the university and one position elimination, with that employee being placed on furlough. The university said the division was a product of the university's recent DEI restructuring under the direction of the Board of Regents. More: UI stands to lose $5 million in revenue under bill prioritizing Iowans for medical school admission The release said the UI has eliminated 12 job positions, all full-time, in the year since the Board of Regents told Iowa's public universities to restructure and eliminate positions and programs relating to diversity, equity and inclusion in accordance with state law. 'This action will ensure the university is in compliance with state and federal laws as well as recent changes to accreditation requirements across numerous disciplines,' the release stated. Essential programs like TRIO Student Support Services and the Office of Civil Rights Compliance will be reassigned to different departments, according to the release, but the Office of Access and Support training program will close. Other student support programs will be reviewed to ensure compliance with state law before they move to University College, which also houses the university's orientation services, honors program, Army and Air Force ROTC and more. More: A yet-to-be-built 84-unit apartment complex in Iowa City awaits rezoning. What to know: TRIO services will also move to University College, the release stated, and the Office of Civil Rights Compliance will move to the Office of the President under the purview of the associate vice president for administrative affairs. A link to Board of Regents President Sherry Bates's comments at a Feb. 27 board meeting was included in a notice of the closure posted on the division's website, where she stated more work needs to be done to comply with the spirit of the law, rather than just the letter. She also directed state universities to scrub all mention of DEI from its current and archived webpages and said the UI had closed three Living Learning Communities in order to follow the law. As of October 2024, state universities had already reallocated more than $2 million away from DEI programs through closures, cancellations and position eliminations. 'While we have made significant progress, we need to complete the work,' Bates said in her statement during the meeting. The UI launched the Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity last spring as part of a restructuring of its central DEI office after being directed to do so by the board of regents. Five open positions with salaries adding up to $360,000 were eliminated in the transition. More: Nearly $1 million in grant funding for the UI's International Writing Program has been 'terminated' The division, split into the Office of Civil Rights Compliance and Office of Access and Support, helped campus members ensure they're meeting accreditation standards and complying with state and federal law, provided student support and opportunities for growth and more. Programs listed in the division include professional development, high-school-to-college transition aid and the University of Iowa Anti-Violence Coalition. The task force in charge of reviewing DEI policies, programming and positions is also listed as a part of the division, where it lists all 10 directives made by the board of regents in fall 2023 as completed. 'The Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity works to maintain a productive and welcoming campus culture where everyone can contribute, find community, and work toward finding common ground,' the division states on its website. 'We do this by ensuring compliance with federal and state laws, supporting both accreditation and research efforts across the institution, and sustaining effective pipeline recruitment programs for students.' Find this story at Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions:kobradovich@ This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: The UI is closing its Division of Access, Opportunity and Diversity
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Iowa Board of Regents president directs universities to scrub websites of DEI
Iowa Board of Regents President Sherry Bates, right, attends a meeting Feb. 27,2025. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Iowa Board of Regents President Sherry Bates directed state universities Thursday to remove all online mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion and begin campuswide academic program review, emphasizing that while plenty of work has already been completed, there is more to do. 'All of us — regents, university administrators, faculty and staff — must examine what we are doing now and what we will be doing going forward to ensure that we are following the spirit of the laws and executive orders, not just the words on the paper,' Bates said. 'The time is now to make sure we complete our work.' In a statement read to the board, Bates said she is directing the University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa and Iowa State University to take down all web pages, either current or archived, relating to DEI. Once they are down, Bates said universities can work with the board office to determine whether they need to be put back online. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Bates also referenced proposed legislation that would have the board and universities conduct a review of all academic programs and report whether they should be changed, remain the same or be eliminated after comparing them to workforce needs. She said the the board office and universities should begin this review now and have a report ready by the board's November meeting. 'We do not need to wait for a bill,' Bates said. Universities must also comply with a letter sent by Gov. Kim Reynolds Feb. 24, which included a directive to identify all federal contracts with 'DEI provisions,' Bates said, and record dates of agreement, dollar amounts, contracting groups and how much work must still be completed. Universities have already spent a lot of time working on state and board directives, Bates said. These efforts have led to program closures and position eliminations, and universities have moved more than $2 million from DEI programs so far. Bates said during the meeting that after its monthslong review of campus programs, the University of Iowa is discontinuing three Living Learning Communities, or LLCs, at the end of the academic year. UI Public Relations Manager Chris Brewer confirmed in an email the Living Learning Communities scheduled to end at the end of the semester are 'Unidos,' 'All In' and 'Young, Gifted and Black.' Each of these are listed online as 'open to any student who seeks to strengthen knowledge and empowerment of' Latinx students, LGBTQ+ students and Black students, respectively. Meaning 'united' in Spanish, 'Unidos' is described online as a community that 'explores the varied cultures and experiences of Latinx students and partners with campus resources and organizations to help create a strong foundation for Latinx-identifying students in their first-year and beyond.' 'All In' was founded by LGBTQ+ students with the goal of creating a LGBTQ+-friendly housing option, the LLC's website states, where students can 'explore and celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and identity.' The university states online that the 'Young, Gifted and Black' LLC was founded by Black UI students 'with the objective to aid in the transition of incoming Black students at the University of Iowa.' 'We understand that some are upset, but to comply with recent decisions, this is a path forward,' Bates said. 'But we do have more to do.' Another example Bates gave of the university system preemptively working on issues identified by lawmakers was among the last of the board's agenda items for the day — an update to admissions forms to eliminate any sex options other than 'male,' 'female,' or 'prefer not to answer.' Work was already being done on this topic before the board received a letter from Sen. Lynn Evans and Rep. Taylor Collins requesting they make changes, and within three days, the options for students to choose when identifying their sex were updated. 'For some, it may look like nothing has been changed,' Bates said. 'This is not the case, but the changes must be made.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
