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What is the Board of Regents?

[Note: This material is copyright by the Des Moines Register, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of the Des Moines Register.]

A new Iowa Poll shows that 27 percent of Iowans approve of the job performance of the board that governs Iowa's three public universities, the Iowa Braille and Sight-saving School and the Iowa School for the Deaf.

A larger share - 37 percent - disapprove of the job the regents are doing. Thirty-six percent of people said they were unsure or undecided about the regents' job performance.

The poll of 800 adults, taken Jan. 21-24, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

"I don't think people, average people like me, really know what the Board of Regents does," said Elaine Schares, 62, a retired state employee from Waterloo.

The regents received the worst marks in the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Des Moines. There, 48 percent of adults polled said they disapproved of the regents' job performance. In the 2nd District, which includes Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, 43 percent disapproved.

The regents have come under criticism in the past few months for the failure of the U of I presidential search. They voted Nov. 17 to reject four finalists for the presidency and later disbanded the search temporarily. The action caused student, faculty and staff groups at the university to approve resolutions of no confidence in regents leaders.

The regents relaunched the search in December and hope to choose a new leader by this summer.

Iowa's legislative leaders continue to hear occasional complaints about the regents.

"There is a frustration with results at the regents' institutions," said Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs.

Iowans are concerned about rising tuition, low faculty salaries and the failed presidential search, he said.

"People lay all of that at the feet of the Board of Regents," even though it is the Legislature that decides how much money the regents' institutions get each year, Gronstal said.

Senate Republican leader Mary Lundby of Marion said Republicans will be watching Gov. Chet Culver's choices for four regent positions that will be open this spring.

"I think he will come to us to make these decisions because he needs Republicans for confirmation," she said.

Gary Steinke, the executive director of the Board of Regents, said he's not surprised at the large share of people who know little about the board.

"Even with my friends, someone will say, 'You're the executive director of the Board of Regents. What do they do?' " Steinke said.

One of the most important roles of the board is insulating the state universities from legislative pressures to change curriculum or put more emphasis on one program over another, Steinke said.

Universities "are very fragile, unique places. That all has to be protected from whims and cultural shifts," he said.

The rancor over the U of I search has registered with some Iowans. Judy Eckman, 44, of Iowa City disapproves of the regents' performance. She'd like to see the board and campus smooth their differences.

"They all need to just get along and come together for the benefit of the university," Eckman said.

Brian Mills, 35, of Des Moines said the regents should do more to keep college affordable. Tuition for resident undergraduates at Iowa State University, where Mills went to school, has more than doubled in the past 10 years from $2,766 in 1997-98 to $6,161 for 2007-08.

"The whole idea of a state university is so people can afford to have a good, public education," Mills said. "If they keep raising tuition, it defeats the purpose."

APPOINTMENTS: Regents are appointed by the governor, subject to approval from the Iowa Senate, for six-year staggered terms. One of the members must be a student at one of the regents' universities. No more than five regents may be from the same political party.

DUTIES: The board sets tuition at the state universities, selects university presidents and superintendents at Iowa Braille and Iowa School for the Deaf, sets compensation levels, decides rules for admission, and directs major expenditures, among other duties.

MEETINGS: The board is required to meet four times a year, but often meets every six weeks at locations around the state. The meetings are open to the public.

MORE: To learn more about the Board of Regents, go to www2.state.ia.us/regents