The Iowa Board of Regents invites applications for the inaugural permanent Director of the Center for Intellectual Freedom (the Center or CIF). Established by the Iowa General Assembly through House File 437 (2025), the CIF is an independent academic center operating under the authority of the Iowa Board of Regents. The Director reports directly to the Board, not to University administration, and holds sole and exclusive authority over all CIF hiring and termination decisions. The Center is mandated to offer courses in American history and civil government to University of Iowa students, and is further required to coordinate with Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa to ensure those courses are available to students at those institutions as well. The Center may also offer other courses and develop certificates, majors, minors, and graduate programs. The Director will play a foundational role in building a nationally prominent center dedicated to free inquiry, constitutional thought, and civic education. Beginning in the 2028-29 academic year, House File 2800 (2026) requires all University of Iowa undergraduates to complete at least six credit hours of CIF course offerings as a condition of graduation, making the rapid, high-quality expansion of those offerings a central task for the incoming Director.
About the Center
The CIF mission, as codified in its bylaws and Iowa Code chapter 263C, is to educate students through free, open, and rigorous intellectual inquiry in pursuit of truth; equip students with the skills, habits, and dispositions of mind needed to reach their own informed conclusions on matters of social and political importance; enhance the intellectual diversity of the University; and foster a community of civil and free inquiry that respects the intellectual freedom of every member. The Center’s scholarship ranges from the foundational texts and debates of free societies and the principles of the American constitutional order to rigorous, objective inquiry into contemporary policy questions. The Director is assisted by a 26-member advisory council appointed by the Board of Regents.
Statutory Duties of the Director (Iowa Code § 263C.9)
The Director shall:
Have the sole and exclusive authority to recruit, hire, and terminate all CIF staff in accordance with state and federal law.
Have the authority to invite guest speakers to the University on behalf of the Center.
Report directly to the Iowa Board of Regents.
Plan, organize, and execute adjustments to the Center’s operations to comply with the HF 2800 (2026) graduation requirement of six credit hours for all University of Iowa undergraduates.
Required Qualifications
Academic record sufficient for tenure at the rank of full professor at the University of Iowa.
Research expertise in at least one of the Center’s core disciplines (classics, economics, history, law, philosophy, political thought, or quantitative political science), combined with a demonstrated ability to engage with academic literature across all of these fields.
An uncompromising commitment to academic freedom, unfettered and rigorous intellectual inquiry, and institutional neutrality, even in the face of countervailing pressures.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Compensation
This position is assigned to a Board of Regents Office pay grade 6, with an anticipated salary range of $200,000 to $450,000 commensurate with experience.
Application Materials
To ensure best consideration, applications should be received by Friday, August 14, 2026, and must include:
A curriculum vitae.
A detailed letter explaining the applicant’s qualifications for the position and vision for the Center.
A list of five professional references. References will not be contacted without the applicant's prior authorization.
Applicants selected for initial interviews will also be asked to submit samples of their scholarly work. The search is conducted by the CIF Advisory Council and its Executive Committee, which will submit finalists to the Iowa Board of Regents for final appointment.
Application materials should be submitted in PDF format to [email protected]. Applications will remain confidential through the semifinalist stage, to the fullest extent permitted by law. Please direct any questions regarding the application process to [email protected].
EEO Statement
The Iowa Board of Regents does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, status as a U.S. Veteran, or any other classification protected by law.
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