Welcome to the Office of Transparency.
In its statement of core values, the University of Iowa “recognizes its accountability to the people of Iowa and the need to exercise responsible stewardship over the intellectual and material resources entrusted to it.” That obligation is also codified in state law. The University of Iowa and its employees are subject to the Iowa Open Records Law, Chapter 22 of the Iowa Code, which establishes that documents or records held by government agencies are public and subject to disclosure, unless an exception in the law recognizes the confidentiality of the material.
The Office of Transparency supports this core value and administers the University’s response to requests for open records in compliance with Iowa Code Chapter 22. We provide a centralized, coordinated system to respond to requests in a consistent, accurate, and timely manner.
Our general responsibilities in fulfillment of this mission are to:
Receive, acknowledge, and track requests for University records
Assign requests to the appropriate University officials and collect responsive materials
Review documents for responsiveness and exempt information under Iowa Code Chapter 22
Provide responses to requests for records in an efficient and timely manner
Provide training and support to University employees and departments
We also:
Preside over Board of Regents Transparency Hearings
Coordinate the University’s response to requests for information and legislative bill analysis from Iowa state legislators and government officials
The Office of Transparency reports to the Vice President for External Relations.