In its April meeting, the Board of Regents plans to discuss various points such as the annual faculty tenure report and state audit reports. The Board of Regents will also review the initiative by Iowa State to award an honorary Doctor of Science degree to Robert Easter.

The board announced Tuesday it will not discuss tuition at its April meeting.

The Academic Affairs Committee will present their annual report on tenure status to the board for discussion.

Tenure is a status which allows faculty to receive “job security in order to create and maintain an atmosphere for the free exchange of ideas and inquiry necessary for educating Iowa’s students and advancing knowledge in democracy,” according to the Board of Regents.

Tenured faculty may pursue academic research without fear of suddenly losing their job without breaking contractual obligations or other major infractions.

Before being tenured, faculty are placed on tenure-track, which is generally a six-year-long period of probation where “candidates undergo extensive and ongoing comprehensive reviews,” as stated in the 2018-19 Faculty Tenure Report.

As of the 2018-19 school year, 986, or 51 percent of faculty, are tenured at Iowa State. Another 369, or 19 percent, are on track to tenure. While 578 faculty members, or 30 percent, are not on tenure-track.

The Audit and Compliance Committee is in charge of presenting the annual state audit reports to the Board for reviewal.

Iowa Code institutes that the state auditor, Rob Sand, must examine all state entities, including all regent institutions and the Board Office. The board will receive the State of Iowa Reports and University Financial Reports for the 2018 Financial Year as well as brief comments from Sand and Marlys Gaton, deputy auditor.

In relation to Iowa State, Easter’s honorary degree will be presented to the board by Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen.

Easter has distinguished himself as a scholar and educator in the fields of animal science and swine management. By lecturing in 30 countries, leading higher education reformation and co-writing a textbook, Iowa State is requesting to award Easter with an honorary Doctor of Science degree.

The Board of Regents will host its meeting on April 18 at the University of Iowa. Live streaming of the audio for open sessions and their agenda can be found at www.iowaregents.edu.