The newly elected president of the Iowa Board of Regents, David Miles, said he would like to prioritize looking for ways to lighten student debt in Iowa.

Miles stepped in for former President Michael Gartner on Jan. 1. Miles’ current presidential term will end in late April, but he said he hopes to be re-elected for another term.

His primary objective for the next four months will be securing funding from the state Legislature for the next fiscal year, Miles said.

Last year, the Legislature provided full funding for the regents’ requests, he said, allowing them to pass the lowest tuition increase in 27 years.

Despite his focus on this goal, Miles said he has other goals he hopes to accomplish during the year.

If he is re-elected, he said, he will have the opportunity to focus on those other priorities, one of which is of great concern to many ISU students -debt.

“We need to be careful not to create too much of a burden for students,” Miles said. “I’m concerned that that burden is getting too heavy right now.”

Iowa has one of the highest levels of student debt in the country, he said, and student debt is “really too high across the nation in general.”

Brian Phillips, senior in political science and GSB president, said he thought Miles would do well as regents president, partly because of his awareness of the issues students face.

“President Miles is very open to listening to student concerns, and he understands the complexities of what happens at the Board of Regents,” Phillips said.

Miles said his other long-term goal is to engage the university community and the regents to continue to “keep all the regents systems at an excellent level, as they are now” and to keep progressing forward to make the regents “the best they can be.”

Miles was approved to lead the Board of Regents in April 2007. He said he has found his role as board president “fascinating” so far. In addition to learning more about Iowa State, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa, he has learned about lesser-known regents institutions.

The Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in Vinton and the Iowa School for the Deaf in Council Bluffs are also regents institutions. Miles said he knew they existed before he was a board member, but he didn’t know much about them.

“They’re really extraordinary resources,” he said.

Miles said he has been interested in civic affairs since he was very young.

“When I was growing up, my parents, and particularly my mother, were always very active in civic affairs,” Miles said. “I always followed that lead.”

He said he learned more about the workings of government by attending the American Legion Boys State when he was young, which made him “even more interested” in public service.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy said he believes Miles will be a great president for the Board of Regents.

“He’s very thoughtful. He thinks about issues in depth,” Geoffroy said. “I think he’ll be a very strong, good leader for the board, and he’s also been a good adviser to me on different issues.”

Geoffroy said Miles has given him input for difficult decisions, such as fundraising issues, naming issues and personnel issues, to name a few.

The next Board of Regents meeting will be held on Feb. 7 on the ISU campus.