Two Board of Regents Appointees, Including Regent President Lang, Turned Down by Iowa Senate Following Contentious Debate

The current president of the Iowa Board of Regents will not be reappointed following a Senate vote yesterday.

The debate to reappoint Craig Lang to another six-year term ended following a contentious floor debate by the Iowa Senate, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported. The Senate also refused to appoint Gov. Terry Branstad's second pick for the Board of Regents, construction company executive Robert Cramer of Grimes.

Lang’s nomination failed on a 30-20 vote, while Cramer lost by a 27-23 margin, the newspaper reported. Webster City physician Subhash Sahai, the governor’s third nominee to the regents, did win confirmation on a 45-5 vote.

While Branstad condemned the Senate's decision, Lang issued a statement Monday saying he "respected the Senate's decision."

...While I am disappointed in the results, I thank the Senate for its stewardship role for Iowans and for the very productive conversations we have had in recent weeks. It is clear that we all share a passion for higher education and doing what is best for Iowa. 

I am proud of the accomplishments of the Board of Regents during my term. The Regents have done a tremendous job in improving the accountability of the Board and the Regent institutions to Iowans, supporting the universities’ extraordinary economic development contributions to the state, encouraging operational efficiencies, and addressing the needs of students, particularly related to access and affordability...

Last month, the Senate Education Committee sent the nominations of Craig Lang and Robert Cramer to the full Senate "without recommendation" after committee-level hearings, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported.

Lang came under fire recently for controversy over the Harkin Institute at Iowa State University.

Read more:

Report: Regents Told Leath to Restrict ISU's Harkin Institute

He was also questioned on controversy surrounding comments on University of Iowa President Sally Mason's job performance and on his commitment to academic freedom.

Read more: University of Iowa President Sally Mason 'Not Concerned' About Lack of Contract

Nominee Cramer, from Grimes, is the owner of construction company Cramer and Associates. He was grilled on his socially conservative past, which included the time of his tenure on the Johnston School Board.

In 2004 he sent a letter to 1,600 voters before a school board election, criticizing what he called age-inappropriate material in two books at Johnston schools, Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and Robert Cormier’s “The Chocolate War.” He later apologized for the letter, the Des Moines Register reported.

Cramer's appointment was also opposed by student leaders at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa, the Des Moines Register reported. The students sent a letter to lawmakers expressing their concern:

“Mr. Cramer has adamantly opposed the advancement of rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community,” the letter said. “His prior positions call into question his ability to be fair minded when matters related to academic freedom, free expression, and protections for diverse communities on campus come before the Board.”

However, Cramer told the committee the issues were "blown out of proportion," and said he would bring tolerance and commitment to academic freedom to the board, the Courier reported.

He also said he was a consensus builder and that his ability to work constructively with the Johnston School Board after the controversy demonstrated that, the Des Moines Register reported.