IA HSB538

Requires the Iowa Board of Regents to use a presidential selection committee when electing presidents of state universities, changing from optional ("may") to mandatory ("shall")

Limits committee membership to Board of Regents members only, who serve as the sole voting members

Mandates the committee recommend the most well-qualified candidates to the full board, which must elect a president only from those recommended candidates

Authorizes committees to contract with executive search firms to place qualified candidates in leadership positions and use board-allocated funds

Keeps candidate identities confidential under Iowa's open records law (Chapter 22), prohibiting public disclosure unless a written agreement between all committee members and the candidate permits it