The AIB College of Business announced new details today about the gifting of its 20-acre Des Moines campus to the University of Iowa.
The campus will be renamed the Regional Regents Center. It's located two miles from the Des Moines airport and is comprised of 17 buildings, including apartment-style student housing.
Chris Costa, chair of AIB’s Board of Trustees, says the business college will not be enrolling a freshman class in Fall 2015. He also says roughly 300 to 400 students will have to transfer to another school to complete their degree, and students wishing to transfer to UI will be subject to the university’s standard transfer policies.
“We’re hoping to have guidance counselors to work with each of our students that want to make that transfer, so we can best assure that they are meeting the guidelines set by the University of Iowa,” Costa says.
AIB’s last class will graduate in June 2016, and the University of Iowa will begin operations on the campus July 1. The business college will dissolve its athletics program after the upcoming Spring season.
At today’s Board of Regent’s meeting in Cedar Falls, President Bruce Rastetter emphasized the AIB-UI deal still requires the Regents' approval after what he calls, "due diligence.”
Iowa State University President Steven Leath, and University of Northern Iowa President William Ruud say their schools may also offer courses at the Des Moines campus.
