DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Republican lawmakers sent a bill off to the governor’s desk that would establish a center for intellectual freedom at the University of Iowa.

The bill would have the center offer a course in American history and civil government, offer university wide programming on free speech values, civil discourse, etc. The center in Iowa City will act as a hub for the two other state regent schools, Iowa State University and University of Northern Iowa, where similar centers exist.

Senate Democrats argued last week that the center is redundant because the campus already offers similar courses to what would be required. Some senators argued that the state’s constitution already protects freedom of expression.

The bill also creates an advisory council that the Iowa Board of Regents will oversee. There will be a minimum of nine members on the council, and will consist of only one person from the University of Iowa, and potentially board of regent members, former state politicians or leaders in the private sector. The Iowa Board of Regents will approve those members on the council, that will in turn search and appoint a director for the center. One member on the board told WHO 13 News why she believes this center is needed.

“There is a very strong feeling that the University of Iowa is way more left leaning, and this was a way to bring some balance to it. And I know that there are people on the left hand side that will not appreciate that, but you have people on the right side that are thinking, you know, we need to have an opportunity for freedom of speech,” said Christine Hensley, Iowa Board of Regents “And we need to ensure that American history and civics and, you know, how government works is all part of the curriculum.”

Hensley said that members of the Iowa Board of Regents, lawmakers and University of Iowa faculty have been talking about how implementation would work for the center since last fall. These conversations stemmed from members of the board wanting some type of conservative curriculum implemented.

Hensley added that at first it will be a learning process to see what is needed funding wise, and whether state appropriations will be enough to operate on a yearly basis. She floated the idea of naming rights and other opportunities for private dollars to be invested into the center.

The work for the Iowa Board of Regents starts when the bill is signed into law by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.

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