(Radio Iowa) – The Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa had to delay its course offerings from January until next month. The Daily Iowan reports the two classes had less than 20 percent of anticipated enrollment. Regent Christine Hensley says leadership was so focused on creating bylaws and holding its inaugural event that it didn’t meet recruitment goals. Hensley says the center has since hired a social and digital marketing firm to get the word out. “Not having really a good understanding of how best to go about recruiting students contributed to that,” Hensley says, “and we have learned quite a bit.” Last year, the regents received a million dollars through the Iowa legislature to start the center.

Opponents accuse the legislature and the regents of doing so with political, not academic, intentions. U-I Law Professor Hope Metcalf told the regents that student perception may be a reason for the low enrollment. “I fear that regardless of what the intentions are, which I really do believe are honorable, and I do think a center like this could have a wonderful role to play at a public university,” Metcalf says, “I fear that we’re way behind on bridging trust with students, and I expect that may well be a reason why you see low enrollment rates.”

Metcalf says she attended the center’s inaugural event in December and was struck by what she called a remarkable lack of intellectual diversity among the panelists. They included Governor Kim Reynolds, activist Chris Rufo, and current and former members of the Trump administration.