Regents approve Harkin institute at Iowa State

AMES – UPDATE: Republican leaders said Wednesday they are disappointed state regents approved a new university institute named for Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin without more public input and without waiting for three new regents to be seated next month.

The state Board of Regents approved Iowa State University's proposed Harkin Institute for Public Policy by a 6-2 vote Wednesday, despite calls by numerous Republican legislators and Gov. Terry Branstad to delay the decision. Republican leaders argued it was touchy ethical ground to name a public institute for a sitting U.S. Congressman.

How the institute is funded, who is allowed to make contributions and how much they can give must all be handled very carefully and openly, Casey Mills, Republican Party of Iowa spokesman, said.

“Will there be limits on the size of contributions, similar to FEC guidelines? Would corporate contributions be allowed and if so, could they come from corporations that have business in front of the Senate and particularly in front of committees Harkin sits on or chairs? Will Senator Harkin directly solicit contributions?” Mills said via email.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy said fundraising of private money for the institute is being led by former Iowa Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson. It's likely that $3 million to $5 million will be raised, with initial gifts coming from friends of Sen. Harkin, Geoffroy said. It's important that no anonymous donations be accepted for the institute, Geoffroy said, to be transparent about who is supporting it. All gifts, names of benefactors and the amount of money given will be public information, he said.

It's also important to note Harkin will have no sway over the public policy institute, that he will not benefit from scholarly work conducted there and that the goal is objective and unbiased academic study, research, education and the furthering of public discourse of public issues, Geoffroy said. The institute will hire a full-time director who is an academic and it will have an advisory board, he said.

“The way the center has to be established and operated is completely free from any input by the senator or any benefit that derives to the senator through the scholarly work,” he said.

Harkin will not solicit funding for the institute, his Spokeswoman Kate Cyrul said. Harkin said via email he is honored to have a named institute at his alma mater, where his two brothers also attended school. ISU also will be home to Harkin's papers as part of the institute.

“I hope the materials I plan to furnish might serve as a resource to bring deeper knowledge of national issues and federal processes, as well as contribute to the continuation of causes and policies to which I have dedicated my career in public service,” Harkin said. “These are issues important to Iowa and Iowans – issues that include, but are not limited to, advancing the rights of individuals with disabilities, increasing access to health care and a quality education, protecting soil and wildlife conservation, promoting child nutrition and advancing human rights around the globe.”

Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, said he thinks it's regrettable the regents went ahead with the vote, despite the concerns of the governor and legislators. The issue was “sprung at the last minute,” and the board should have gathered more input and waited until three new regents are seated in May, Paulsen said.

“I told (Regents President) David Miles that the regents over the last handful of years have been very partisan in their actions and this reinforces that,” Paulsen said. “I have worked very hard to build what I think is a soft relationship between the House Republicans and the regents largely because of their partisan positions, and I think this is a step backwards.”

State Sen. Sandra Greiner, R-Keota, the first legislator to publicly raise concerns about the proposal last week, said Wednesday she hopes this move by the regents doesn't set a precedent.

“I think it's inappropriate to name an institute of this type for someone who is still in office and is making appropriation decisions as well as policy decisions,” she said.

Regent Ruth Harkin, the wife of Sen. Harkin, abstained in the board vote. Regents Craig Lang, of Brooklyn, and Greta Johnson, of LeMars, were the two votes against the institute plan. An earlier motion by Lang to table the issue failed 5-3.

Lang questioned ISU leaders on when they provided information on the institute to regent officials, with Lang saying he did not see the information about the plan until last week. ISU leaders said they told regents office officials about the plan about six weeks ago, and that Regents President David Miles, of Waukee, and President Pro Tem Jack Evans, of Cedar Rapids, also were informed at that time.

“I believe it is absolutely wrong for us to consider this institute at this time,” Lang said, saying it's ethically wrong to name a public institute after a sitting lawmaker who wields power and influence.

Regent Bonnie Campbell, of Des Moines, said she trusts the judgment of Geoffroy and ISU provost Betsy Hoffman in proposing the institute, and Campbell said establishing a center that will become a recognized expert on public policy matters will be good for the state.

“It's true I'm a Democrat, but I would feel the same way if we were setting up a Grassley institute of public policy,” Campbell said. “It is a good thing for Iowa State.”

Geoffroy said ISU has 97 institutes and centers, several of them named. He noted that Harkin is one of ISU's most prominent graduates. The institute will focus on public policy matters – the focus largely will be determined by the academic specialty of the person hired as institute director – but it could include public health or economics, for example, Geoffroy said.

“It's intended to be an institute that really helps put Iowa State University on the map in the field of public policy,” he said. “That's an area where we have some strength but not as much strength as we'd like.”

– Staff writers Rod Boshart and James Q. Lynch contributed to this report.