(Des Moines, Iowa) – As a new Iowa House higher education committee gets its start with the beginning of the legislative session, college and university leaders are signaling their willingness to work with lawmakers while seeking clarification about what “return on investment” the Statehouse is seeking. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Higher education committee chair Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, said at the committee’s first meeting Tuesday that this is the first committee to oversee higher education in more than 50 years, with the last higher education committee meeting in 1971.

Collins said the committee will explore legislation aimed at reviewing academic programs to compare them to workforce needs of the state, reforming core curriculum, controlling costs and expanding access to higher education for rural Iowans, as well as increasing intellectual diversity and proficiency in civics education on campuses and combating “predatory institutional accreditors.”

The only three-letter acronym Collins said the committee would be using during the session is “MEI,” which stands for merit, excellence and intelligence, rather than diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. State universities have already cut positions and eliminated or restructured offices related to DEI, directed to do so by the Iowa Board of Regents and legislation passed last session. Collins previously said he doesn’t see a need to pass more bills aimed at DEI on college campuses, but the committee will check in to make sure the universities are following the law.

Iowa Board of Regents spokesperson Josh Lehman said in an email that the board office has received “several questions and requests for information” from Collins, and the office is happy to work with him and other lawmakers on the committee with any questions they have. Lehman said in his email that a recent economic impact study reported that the three state universities together contributed almost $15 billion in income to the state in fiscal year 2022, or around 7% of the total gross product of the state. The universities also support close to 200,000 Iowa jobs, he said, or 1 out of every 10 jobs. The committee will also oversee community colleges and private universities, whose students benefit from the Iowa Tuition Grant program.

Another three-letter acronym Collins used in previous interviews about the new committee is ROI, or return on investment. He said lawmakers have “every right” to look at the academic programs being offered at universities to see how state funds are being used and what benefits Iowa taxpayers will see from them.