Leadership shakeup: Two Iowa Board of Regents leaders step down

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) - Two top leaders of the Iowa Board of Regents announced Monday they will step down from their positions on Thursday.

President Sherry Bates will leave the board entirely, while President Pro Tem Greta Rouse will resign from her leadership position but remain on the board. The board oversees all three state universities.

Board members were not available for comment. In a statement, both members said they want to spend more time with family.

Gov. Kim Reynolds said she is grateful for Bates and respects her decision.

Bates has served as president since February 2024. Former Gov. Terry Branstad originally appointed her to the board in 2014, and her current term was not set to expire until 2029.

Rouse started her tenure as a student representative on the board in 2008.

Republican legislators have demanded significant changes to the university system in recent years. They required universities to stop spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion offices and have combated what they view as a liberal focus on campuses.

The legislature established a new Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa to promote conservative themes.

The board has made decisions on free speech issues, including recent punishment of university staff for their online responses to the assassination of conservative social media influencer and organizer Charlie Kirk.

Republican Chair of the House Committee on Higher Education Rep. Taylor Collins said in a statement the decision will chart a new path for the board.

“Lawmakers have called for a change in direction for not only our universities, but also the Board of Regents,” Collins said.

The Board of Regents meets Wednesday to elect new leadership.