1 in 5 Iowa senators don’t hold a college degree

DES MOINES - When Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds received her bachelor's degree earlier this month from Iowa State University at age 57, she completed a yearslong journey and joined the vast majority of state officials with at least a four-year college degree.

In the Iowa Legislature, however, where Reynolds served for two years, lawmakers without a four-year degree are not unheard of.

When the Legislature convenes in a few weeks, 1 in 5 senators will not have graduated college.

But Reynolds and other state officials, both with and without a four-year degree, say possessing one is not necessary to adequately perform legislative duties.

'That's not the message I'm trying to send” by earning a degree, Reynolds said last week.

Reynolds, a Republican, said in addition to the years she spent taking classes to earn her degree, she also learned on the job by observing those around her and studying Iowa law.

She was a pharmacist's assistant and worked in the Clarke County treasurer's office before her career in public office, where she has served as Clarke County treasurer, state senator and lieutenant governor.

'I learned every day from the people and the job and the people I've encountered, the people that I worked with like Gov. (Terry) Branstad. What a phenomenal on-the-job training I've had from Day 1 partnering with him,” she said. 'I utilized many educational facilities and institutions to get this done.”

The rate of four-year degree-holders in the Iowa Legislature vastly outpaces the state's general population.

Among Iowans 25 years and older, 26.7 percent have a bachelor's degree or higher, according to census data.

In the Legislature, 80 percent of senators and 86 percent of representatives possess at least a bachelor's degree.

Senators are responsible for voting on public funding for the state's colleges and confirming appointees to the Board of Regents - the state panel that governs Iowa's public universities, including the University of Iowa, ISU and the University of Northern Iowa

That's not a problem, said state Sen. Jeff Danielson, a Democrat whose district includes the UNI campus and who possesses two degrees from the school.

'I like Thomas Jefferson's approach to an informed electorate, and that means having an organic feel for not just the laws that are made in Des Moines, but being able to come back and be a part of your community and be able to communicate why those things are important. That doesn't necessarily require a college degree,” Danielson said.

Because of how common it is for farmers to go straight from high school to full-time work on the farm, they comprise five of the 10 Iowa senators and roughly a third of the 14 representatives without a four-year degree. Four senators and seven representatives without four-year degrees have business or professional careers.

Danielson said he would like to see the state's public universities acknowledge life experience as credit toward acquiring a degree. He said he experienced it first hand when none of his experience serving in the U.S. Navy was recognized for college credit.

'I want people to achieve being a lifelong learner, and I think we can improve the way in which he recognize that experience,” he said. 'Thankfully, we've changed some of those laws.”

Iowa Rep. Walt Rogers, a Republican from Cedar Falls who holds a degree from UNI and will be chairman of the House committee on education in 2017, said that while he believes post-high school education is important, he also believes Reynolds learned just as much or more from her experience.

'It depends on your perspective, I guess. Practically, I don't think Kim is going to act any differently other than being proud she was able to accomplish that,” Rogers said. 'Obviously 98-99 percent of what she knows about government she's learned on the job. All of us, we learn mostly from experience.”

Reynolds attended Northwest Missouri State University and majored in business administration and marketing, but she did not complete her degree there. Over the years, she also took classes at a pair of community colleges. In 2012, she focused on obtaining her degree through ISU,

'It was a personal goal of mine, has been for a long time. I don't like starting something and not finishing it,” Reynolds said. 'So, it really just was an important goal. I wanted my grandchildren to see that it's never too late, and, really, Iowans to see that it's never too late.”

A non-traditional student himself, Danielson applauded Reynolds' achievement and said he hopes more Iowans do the same, that the state's universities should do what they can to make that easier, and reiterated those who do not possess a four-year degree can draw on their experiences to serve as state legislators.

'We've got a lot of work to do helping people understand the school of hard knocks and higher education are not opposing concepts,” he said. 'What I want is a well-rounded life experience, and we ought to honor both. Our Capitol should reflect that. You don't need a college degree to figure out how to help people.”

John McGlothlen of The Gazette contributed to this report.