Des Moines, Iowa — A few Republicans from the Iowa House are questioning why record private fundraising at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University hasn’t translated into a tuition freeze.
Representative Gary Mohr, a Republican from Bettendorf, led an online forum focused on a variety of issues at the universities.
Iowa State University president Wendy Wintersteen says tuition would be higher without that record fundraising, since the majority of what’s donated is spent on student scholarships and degree programs as well as research.
University of Iowa president Barbara Wilson says 98 percent of donations are restricted, meaning the donor has directed exactly how the money can be spent.
Wilson started at the University of Iowa in mid-July after serving as executive vice president for the University of Illinois system.
David Barker, a member of the board that governs the three state universities, says the Board of Regents has kept tuition as flat as possible.
University of Northern Iowa president Mark Nook says the toughest fundraising pitch to potential donors is for campus building projects.
