State senator questions ISU’s proposed Harkin Institute

A state senator says Iowa State University's proposal to establish a public policy institute named for Iowa Democratic Senator Tom Harkin raises 'very serious ethical and legal concerns.'

Sen. Sandra Greiner, R-Keota, sent a letter Friday to state Board of Regents President David Miles and other regents. The board will consider ISU's proposed new Harkin Institute for Public Policy at a meeting next week in Ames.

Greiner said in her letter she has serious questions, reservations and concerns about the plan, which she said raises questions about transparency with the regents system and prompts alarming ethical challenges.

It's clear the proposal has been discussed at length internally and legislators and the Office of the Governor did not know about the proposal, she says in the letter. She also questions the idea of naming a public institute for a sitting elected official. Harkin is an Iowa Democrat in the U.S. Senate.

'Unfortunately, the secretive and rushed behavior around this proposal also bring an even greater cloud of controversy to the potential institute,' Greiner wrote.

She requests that the regents postpone consideration of the institute for more public discussion of the plan.