The Iowa Board of Regents voted on and elected a new face on Wednesday.

President Pro Tem David Miles was unanimously elected to be the new Iowa Board of Regents president, taking the place of Michael Gartner. Miles will be finishing out Gartner’s term starting Jan. 1, 2008. The regents will be holding another presidential election in March.

“I am thrilled that my fellow regents elected me to take the position,” Miles said. “I look forward to taking the board into the next legislative session.” Miles said he is ready to join the board in “rolling up [its] sleeves” and tackling challenges facing the regents coming in the next year. One of the greatest of these will be again securing state funding from the Special Allocations committee, which allocated $60 million to regents universities for this fiscal year, leading to the board being able to pass “the lowest tuition increase in the last 27 years.”

Miles said his “biggest immediate concern” for the short term is the funding issue. He pointed out that Gov. Chet Culver has stopped budget increases in many departments, including education, which might cause funding problems going into the next fiscal year.

“The biggest immediate challenge is funding and continuing down the course that was set last year,” Miles said. “[We will be] doing everything that we can to make higher education affordable for all Iowans.”

He said his first day as president in the “very challenging and fast-changing environment” of university management has been a learning experience, which has already included a meeting of regent business and finance managers to discuss the performance of the regents’ endowment portfolio.

Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance, said he looks forward to working with Miles.

“My interactions with David on the board have been positive. He has a good background and has a good understanding of universities,” Madden said. “David is a quick learner and thoughtful. He will be a good president for the board.”

Madden said it is “highly likely Miles will be elected” for the presidency again in March.

Government of the Student Body President Brian Phillips, senior in political science, said he is happy with the decision.

“I look forward to working with Regent Miles in the future. He’s got big shoes to fill,” Philips said. “I am confident that he will be able to do what is best for Iowa students.”