THE, UNIVERSITY Office of the President eee spree ‘ara ows 52426000 September 22, 2020 Mike Richards President lowa Board of Regents Dear President Richards: | am writing to inform you | have decided to retire as President of the University of lowa. In order to facilitate a smooth transition, | will stay as President until a new President has started at the University of lowa or the Board decides | should leave. Ithas been an honor to serve as the 21* president of the University of lowa and a true privilege to work with so many dedicated students, faculty, and staff. Together, we have faced challenges not witnessed in the past 100 years and looking forward this | firmly believe this institution is poised for tremendous success. On a personal note the past five years, while certainly challenging, have reaffirmed my conviction that public higher education is a critical component of our democratic society. Yet, institutions like ours are critically underfunded and continue to dramatically drop in independent rankings. To put it simply, they are a public good and we must elect leaders who will protect and invest in public higher education just as our predecessors did. Therefore, throughout my tenure | have especially appreciated the Board of Regents steady leadership and pinpoint focus on improving public higher education for lowans. Now, perhaps more than ever, institutions like the University of lowa will play a critical role in the future of lowa. At the end of the day, your leadership has allowed the university to invest in our institution in ways which will continue to pay dividends for years to come for lowa. Thank you for supporting public and private investments into our world class medical facilities, Psychology and Brain Sciences Building, College of Pharmacy Building, and our new museum of art - amongst other projects. While these projects are physical investments, they also meaningfully and directly impact the teaching and research programs on our campus. | have also appreciated the Board's support of our efforts to reimagine our budget process, enter into a public private partnership with the Ul’s utility system, and implement a 5-year tuition plan Rest assured that until a new president begins, | will continue to work closely with you, my cabinet, our council of deans and our shared governance groups to advance the key priorities of the campus. With the continued support of the Board of Regents, lowans, our alumni and friends, the University of lowa is poised for even greater success. Selo Bruce Harreld President ‘The University of lowa