DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa's three public state universities are eliminating their diversity equity and inclusion programs.
The decision comes just over a week after the state legislators passed the Department of Education's budget, including a proposal to ban DEI programs.
The University of Iowa restructured its central Iowa Office and created two new Central Divisions, one focusing on state compliance requirements and the other on accreditation requirements. It also eliminated five open DEI positions, redeploying roughly $360,000 to student success initiatives.
University of Iowa President Barbara J. Wilson shared that the university intends to reimagine the current system.
"What I want to emphasize in all of this is our goal is education and research and complying with the laws that we have," Wilson, said.
Iowa State University president Wendy Wintersteen told the Board of Regents the university is closing it's DEI office in July and removing two filled positions and three vacant positions. The money for the DEI office will now go to other so-called university priorities.
Wintersteen said, as the years have passed, she fears rural Iowa students may see ISU as too big and wouldn't feel like they belong, though the university says it's working on the president's concerns.
"So one of the first things we did was establish learning communities so that a young man, a young white man from rural Iowa could come and be in a learning community and find the place where they could belong," Wintersteen said.
As for the University of Northern Iowa, president Mark Nook said the school is taking a more holistic approach to DEI changes. UNI will eliminate its Diversity Inclusion Social Justice Office and replace it with a Center for Civic Education, with a projection of $300,000 devoted to that center annually.
Nook said the new center will enhance civic education.
"It will promote the values of free speech, civic leadership, public service, and participatory citizenship," Nook said.
Gov. Kim Reynolds has not yet signed the DEI restrictions into law.