More Iowa senators worried about proposed Harkin Institute

All 24 members of the Iowa Senate Republican Caucus today signed a letter to the state Board of Regents in support of the concerns raised by a senator last week about Iowa State University's proposed Harkin Institute for Public Policy.

The letter asks that the regents postpone a decision about the institute. The regents will consider ISU's proposal for the institute at a meeting this week.

State Sen. Sandra Greiner, R-Keota, wrote a letter last week to regents President David Miles, raising concerns about the ISU plan.

In today's letter, Senate Republicans wrote, “we agree with Senator Greiner's points that the inclusion of this proposed institute raises serious concerns about transparency within the Regents system and also prompts very concerning legal and ethical challenges.”

They concluded by noting, “at this time, we respectfully request the Board of Regents to postpone any consideration of the Harkin Institute for Public Policy until there is further discussion about this proposal and the general propriety of a state institution naming an institute after a current elected official serving the people of Iowa.”