Iowa Board of Regents expands oversight of UI’s Center for Intellectual Freedom

The Iowa Board of Regents has formed a new committee to oversee the Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa as it prepares for a fall without classes.

Board members approved the committee’s formation at its Wednesday meeting and approved its membership of Regent Christine Hensley, serving as chair, Board President Robert Cramer in the role of vice chair and Regent Steve Lacy. The center’s director, at this time Interim Director Luciano de Castro, will staff the committee.

The committee will meet every quarter at least, Board Executive Director Mark Braun said, with Hensley telling the board they plan to have a meeting with just board members next week and a “follow-up meeting shortly thereafter.”

“I just think that this is an excellent way to move forward since we have so many things that are going on at the center and (I) appreciate us coming together as a committee,” Hensley said.

University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson said during the meeting the UI is “very interested in working with our students on civic education,” and the university wants to work with the board to support the center’s mission, which they believe in.

“We stand ready to help, we want to, but most importantly we want to make sure that our students don’t end up with a longer time to degree or more cost in their education,”  Wilson said. “So, we’re delighted that you’re going to take a stronger role, and we want to be helpful in that capacity.”

Hensley said she and others are working to make sure that doesn’t happen, and she’s confident they will meet that goal.

Committee responsibilities include reviewing center finances, funding, past and present initiatives, future priorities, academic and other activity updates and the center’s required-by-state annual report. The group will also handle annual performance evaluations of the center director and receive reports and recommendations from the center’s advisory council, bringing recommendations to the full board of regents when necessary.

The center director will report to the committee with budgets and “statuary responsibilities” under the Iowa law that established the center, as well as plans for academic programming, outreach, public events and other activities.

The Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa held its first event in December 2025 and offered two courses during the UI’s spring 2026 semester, having dropped one course due to low interest from students and issues with finding faculty. A search for its eventual permanent director has been launched, with hopes from the advisory council to have someone chosen by the board of regents’ September meeting.

Hensley said during a June 8 meeting of the center advisory council that, as the council searches for a permanent director and works on core curriculum for civics courses that will be needed for graduation starting in 2028, that “everything else will be on pause, with the exception of developing the speaker series.”

De Castro said during the June council meeting the center is in the process of selecting a “permanent speaker” for the semester as well as planning public speaker events related to America’s 250th anniversary. He’s also trying to bring Iowa political candidates from both parties for November elections to campus.

“We just feel that that’s the most appropriate direction at this time,” Hensley said during the council meeting.