Board of Regents Elect Lang and Rastetter to Leadership Positions

In a short telephonic meeting Tuesday afternoon, the State Board of Regents unanimously voted to approve Craig Lang as the successor to David Miles as board president.

Bruce Rastetter was voted in as president pro tem. The vote for Rastetter was also unanimous. Little discussion preceded either vote.

The meeting began at 2:00 p.m. and ended roughly 15 minutes later. In an interview on Monday Gov. Terry Branstad stated he would prefer Lang as the successor to David Miles as president.

In May, Branstad asked Miles and president pro tem Jack Evans to step down from their positions. The two resisted but announced Monday they would accept the Governor's request and that they would serve in their current positions only until successors were chosen by the board.

Ryan Foley, of the Associated Press, reports that both Lang and Rastetter have backgrounds in the agriculture industry. Foley also reports that Rastetter has ties to Branstad. 

Rastetter had urged Branstad to come out of political retirement to run for a fifth term as Iowa governor, and donated more than $160,000 to his successful campaign last year. Branstad appointed him, Mulholland and Carroll to the board earlier this year.

Miles and Evans Step Down

State Board of Regents President David Miles announced on Monday that he and Jack Evans, Regents president pro tem, would both resign from their positions at the request of the Gov. Terry Branstad.

The two will remain in these positions until the election of their successors. Miles had been scheduled to serve as president until April 30, 2012. Miles and Evans will remain as regents, with their board terms expiring in 2013.

According to a press release, containing a letter of resignation from Miles to the Board of Regents, both Miles and Evans initially balked at the idea of Gov. Branstad asking them to resign, as they "do not serve at the pleasure of the Governor." 

But after getting mixed feedback on the matter from other Regents, Miles and Evans both agreed that disputing the matter would take up valuable time, and would be a distraction to the board, so they decided to step down instead, according to the letter.

The Iowa State Board of Regents is a nine-member citizen board appointed by the governor to staggered six-year terms. The board elects a president and president pro tem from this group to serve two year terms, according to the State Board of Regents website.

The board's purpose is to govern five different state educational bodies: the University of Iowa, the University of Iowa State, the University of Northern Iowa, the Iowa School for the Deaf, and the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School. 

A meeting will be held tomorrow to discuss the successors for the two regents in these positions. The Gazette is reporting that Regent Craig Lang, of Brooklyn, is Branstad's choice to succeed David Miles as Regents president. Branstad reportedly recommended Miles and Evans step down because he wants a Regents leader who shares his philosophy. You can read more of the Gazette's coverage here.

Click here to read the Board of Regents press release on the resignation of Miles and Evans. Click here to go to the State Board of Regents website.