Iowa 2025-2026 Regular Session

Iowa Senate Bill SSB1024

Introduced
1/21/25  

Caption

A bill for an act providing for a review by the state board of regents of academic programs offered at regents institutions.

Impact

The bill obligates the state board of regents to complete the evaluation process by their first meeting after November 1, 2025, and to deliver a report summarizing the findings and recommendations by November 30, 2025. This report will address whether each program should remain unchanged, be eliminated, or be modified to better serve workforce needs, thereby potentially leading to significant changes in the academic landscape of Iowa’s higher education institutions.

Summary

Senate Study Bill 1024, known as the Workforce First Act, mandates a comprehensive review of all undergraduate and graduate academic programs offered at institutions overseen by the state board of regents. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the alignment of these programs with both current and future workforce needs in Iowa, ensuring that higher education institutions are effectively preparing students for employment. This bill reflects an increasing focus on workforce relevance within academic curricula at the state level.

Contention

There may be points of contention surrounding SSB1024, particularly regarding which criteria will be used to determine the 'alignment' with workforce needs. Stakeholders in education might express concern that this review could jeopardize certain academic programs, especially those in the liberal arts, which might not directly demonstrate workforce alignment despite their intrinsic value. Furthermore, the consultation process with departments of education and workforce development could raise questions about the criteria used to assess workforce needs and the representation of various academic disciplines in these discussions.

Companion Bills

IA HF420

Replaced by A bill for an act providing for a review by the state board of regents of academic programs offered at regents institutions.(Formerly HSB 50.)

IA HSB50

Related A bill for an act providing for a review by the state board of regents of academic programs offered at regents institutions.(See HF 420.)

Previously Filed As

IA HF2558

A bill for an act relating to higher education, including by modifying the responsibilities of private institutions of higher education, community colleges, the state board of regents, and institutions of higher education governed by the state board of regents, modifying provisions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, tuition, and administrator hiring at state universities, membership of the state board of regents, and student-employer work and tuition programs at state universities and community colleges, and including applicability provisions. (Formerly HF 2327.)

IA SF58

A bill for an act relating to students who are pregnant or who recently gave birth who attend state institutions of higher education governed by the board of regents and community colleges.(See SF 252.)

IA SF252

A bill for an act relating to students who are pregnant or who recently gave birth who attend state institutions of higher education governed by the board of regents and community colleges.(Formerly SF 58.)

IA HF48

A bill for an act prohibiting tenure systems at the institutions of higher learning governed by the state board of regents, and including applicability provisions.

IA HF182

A bill for an act relating to institutions of higher education governed by the state board of regents, including requiring the institutions to submit reports to the general assembly related to terms associated with courses offered by the institutions' colleges of education and establishing an interim study committee to evaluate practitioner preparation programs offered by the institutions, and including effective date provisions.(Formerly HF 7.)

IA HF7

A bill for an act relating to institutions of higher education governed by the state board of regents, including requiring the institutions to submit reports to the general assembly related to terms associated with courses offered by the institutions' colleges of education and establishing an interim study committee to evaluate practitioner preparation programs offered by the institutions, and including effective date provisions.(See HF 182.)

IA HF2352

A bill for an act relating to the amount of tuition and mandatory fees charged by institutions of higher education governed by the state board of regents and making appropriations.

IA HF11

A bill for an act relating to the responsibilities of the state board of regents and the institutions of higher education governed by the state board of regents, including requiring the board to publish certain information related to the average income and student debt of institution graduates and requiring the institutions to provide career services to undergraduates.(See HF 135.)

IA SSB1211

A bill for an act making appropriations to the economic development authority, the Iowa finance authority, the public employment relations board, the department of workforce development, and the state board of regents and certain regents institutions, and providing for properly related matters.(See SF 559.)

IA HF2704

A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations to the education system, including the funding and operation of the department for the blind, department of education, and state board of regents; modifying provisions related to compulsory education, open enrollment, the state board of regents presidential search committee, the Iowa tuition grants program, and the Iowa dyslexia board; establishing restrictions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of institutions of higher education governed by the state board of regents; providing penalties; and including effective date and applicability provisions.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.