2023 Iowa Legislature has adjourned
Back in January, at the beginning of the Iowa legislative session, we asked for your help to ensure that University of Northern Iowa education remains affordable for Iowa students and their families. Thank you to those of you who reached out to state lawmakers. We are grateful for your willingness to support and share UNI’s positive impact on Iowa.
The 2023 Iowa Legislature, with over 40 newly elected officials, adjourned on Thursday, May 5. Gov. Reynolds has 30 days from this date to sign, veto or item-veto legislation.
“We will continue to work with Gov. Reynolds and members of the Iowa Legislature as we build upon our commitment to ensuring a reasonable and predictable cost of education for Iowa families, while providing the high-quality education our students need to be successful professionals and leaders in Iowa's changing economy,” said UNI President Mark A. Nook.
For next year, the Legislature established a new scholarship program for students who are pursuing their higher education at one the three Regents universities, including the University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. This $6.5 million Iowa Workforce Grant and Incentive Program will help Iowa students with financial need who enroll in a high-wage and high-demand job, as defined by the Board of Regents and Iowa Workforce Development. The eligible jobs and corresponding academic majors specifically include future teachers through traditional educator preparation programs and the Regents Alternative Pathway to Iowa Licensure (RAPIL) program.
UNI is provided an additional $1.5 million for our Educators for Iowa initiative. Although this is below our $4 million request, it will allow us to continue our intentional efforts of recruiting additional students to participate in educational opportunities that lead to teacher licensure. UNI has a strong legacy of providing Iowa’s public and private schools with educators, as UNI alumni are employed in all 99 counties and in 99% of Iowa’s school districts.
Our $400,000 request to expand the growing Family Business Center and UNI’s Institute for Decision Making was approved. Both play a critical role in supporting Iowa’s family-owned businesses and economic development efforts. The Legislature also adopted language prohibiting any new spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the three public universities as the Board of Regents conducts a comprehensive DEI study and review.
The Legislature did not provide any increase in our base general aid to operate the university. We had requested an additional $4 million to realign UNI’s sticker price and net cost of tuition and mandatory fees relative to Iowa’s two public research universities, which would have allowed us to hold our tuition as close to flat as possible for the 2023-24 academic year. Our request for an additional $2 million to expand the successful UNI@IACC (Iowa Community College) partnership was not funded. The Board of Regents request for an additional $1 million for allocation to the three public universities for expanded student mental health services was also not funded, and the Legislature eliminated the $172,768 appropriation to UNI for our Recycling and Reuse Technology Transfer Center.
UNI will continue to focus on building our enrollment to levels that are in line with the needs of the state. We are working to define and promote the attributes of UNI that make us distinctive as a regional comprehensive public university focused on the success of our students.
As you know, at UNI, we provide our students real world, hands-on experiences enabling them to begin their careers after graduation and start making an impact from day one.