Tuition prices are at the forefront of students’ minds; here is what you need to know about the organization that decides these price tags at Iowa’s regent universities.

The Iowa Board of Regents is a nine-member board of volunteers selected by Iowa’s Governor. These nine members consist of one student attending a regent university, no more than five members of the same gender, and no more than five members of the same political party affiliation. Four of the nine board members have donated to the governor’s campaign (Michael Richards, David Barker, Nancy Boettger and Greta Rouse).

The Board represents:

• Iowa State University
• The University of Iowa
• The University of Northern Iowa
• The Iowa School for the Deaf
• The Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The regent universities are represented by:

• President Michael Richards
• President Pro Tempore Sherry Bates
• David Barker
• Nancy Boettger
• Student Member, Abby Crow
• Nancy Dunkel
• Jim Lindenmayer
• James “JC” Risewick
• Greta Rouse

“The Board receives information and makes decisions on a host of topics[…]including strategic planning, budgeting, investment policies, capital projects, academic programs [as well as] tuition and fees,” said Josh Lehman, senior communications director for the Board.

With such a widespread impact, Lehman said it is important that the Board members receive input from students at the regent universities.

“Shared governance is a high priority of the Board, and members always welcome hearing from various campus constituents,” Lehman said.

The Board of Regents is required to have a regent university student as a voting member, and student leaders often attend the quarterly meetings to represent their schools. Iowa State Student Body President Jacob Ludwig, a senior double majoring in economics and political science, attends the quarterly meetings.

“The Board generally has the best interest of students in mind[…]they are always advocating for more funding and to keep tuition to a minimum,” Ludwig said. “They want the best quality education at the lowest price.”

Ludwig also spoke about how important the Board is as an advocate for university intentions in the state legislature.

“What the Board is advocating for is what the [state] legislators hear,” Ludwig said.

He highlights how valuable this mouthpiece is for students and faculty alike when trying to change education policy or funding.

While the Board impacts students directly, it also impacts the faculty members of the universities. Jon Perkins, president of the Faculty Senate and associate professor of accounting at Iowa State, talked with the Daily about how the Board’s decisions trickle down to faculty.

“Rates also affect faculty as they help determine if and how much of a cost-of-living and merit raise they might receive in a given year,” Perkins said.

Perkins also said the Board plays a key role in granting tenure to professors and has jurisdiction over what academic programs are put into place at the universities.

The next Board of Regents meeting will be held Sept. 13-14 at the University of Northern Iowa.