Iowa lawmakers advanced legislation that would eliminate the Board of Regents' single voting student member and replace it with a governor-appointed regent, while adding seven nonvoting seats including student advisors and legislators. The bill also empowers the legislature to override board expenditures and mandates new oversight functions—moves critics say reduce student voice and centralize political control over higher education. Separately, community colleges continue to emphasize local millage renewals as a funding lifeline. A strategic guide urged colleges to build sustained community trust through visible workforce partnerships and outcomes messaging ahead of renewal campaigns.