Sen. Lynn Evans (left) and Rep. Taylor Collins have asked the Iowa Board of Regents to deny the University of Iowa’s request to form a new school at its February meeting. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Two Iowa lawmakers have urged the Iowa Board of Regents to deny the University of Iowa’s request to form a new school that would include programs in African American studies, gender, sexuality and women’s studies, Native American and Indigenous studies and more.
Sen. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia, and Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, sent a letter to the Board of Regents Jan. 8 saying the UI’s proposal to form a School of Social and Cultural Analysis should be rejected, as it brings together “ideologically driven programs,” rather than doing away with them.
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Evans is chair of the Senate Committee on Education and Collins is chair of the new House Committee on Higher Education.
“Iowans expect our institutions of higher education to be focused on providing for the workforce needs of the state, not programs that are focused on peddling ideological agendas,” the letter stated.
The UI announced in December that several programs would be folded into the new school, including African American Studies; American Studies; Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies; Jewish Studies; Latina/o/x Studies and Native American and Indigenous Studies.
According to a news release, the university would close its American Studies and Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies departments and discontinue its American Studies and Social Justice majors to form a new degree in Social and Cultural Analysis. These programs have fewer than 60 enrolled students in total, according to the release.
“Right now, these programs are administered by multiple department chairs and multiple directors,” said Roland Racevskis, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences associate dean for the arts and humanities, in the release. “Under this proposed plan, the school would have a single leadership team dedicated to overseeing the operations of the programs. This new structure would provide better coordination of curriculum across these related programs, easier pathways for degree completion, and support for interdisciplinary research opportunities.”
The new major would help students achieve a “broad understanding of the complexities of the world around them,” according to the release, and teach them skills to take into careers in education, research and public policy.
In the letter, Collins and Evans said “Iowans celebrated” when the university announced it would eliminate the social justice major and close its gender studies department, but instead they’re just being consolidated into the new school.
The university said in the release it plans to bring the school proposal to the Board of Regents at its February meeting. The idea for the School of Social and Cultural Analysis came from a “multi-year administrative restructure” of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, according to the release, and if approved, would launch in the summer in time for the 2025-26 academic year.
Iowa Board of Regents spokesperson Josh Lehman said in an email that the board did receive the letter and “appreciate(s) them sharing their opinions with the Board.”
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