Director, Center for Intellectual Freedom, University of Iowa

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.

Statutory Duties of the Director

Have the sole and exclusive authority to recruit, hire, and terminate all CIF staff in accordance with state and federal law.
Have 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.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.

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Director, Center for Intellectual Freedom, University of Iowa

The University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA 52242, USA