REAPS efficiency review entering second phase

October 7, 2026

The committee conducting the Revenue Enhancement and Productivity Study (REAPS) has identified nine areas of opportunity for further exploration as it enters its second phase. REAPS is an Iowa Board of Regents initiative to identify sustainable new revenue, improve efficiency and productivity, and make the best use of resources across Iowa's public universities. REAPS includes all three public universities governed by the Board: the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. A committee composed of Regents, Board Office leaders, and senior leaders from each university is guiding the work, along with partnership from an external firm, Huron Consulting Group.

The first phase of REAPS, completed in September, included data analysis and more than 50 interviews across the three institutions with administrative and academic leaders such as the presidents, provosts, associate provosts, and leaders across functional areas like HR, IT, finance, facilities, procurement, enrollment management and athletics. These inputs informed the REAPS committee's selection of the following opportunity areas for focus and continued exploration:

• Alternative Revenue: Non-tuition revenue generated through existing services and operations.
• Research, Innovation, Commercialization: Monetization and scaling of the research enterprise and intellectual property.
• Institutional Capabilities as a Service: Leveraging assets, capabilities, or infrastructure to launch or scale services to external clients.
• Workforce, Professional, Lifelong Learning: Market-responsive education offerings aligned to employer demand and adult learners. ​
• Real Estate Optimization & Development: More effective utilization of campus and/or real estate assets to generate or unlock revenue. ​
• Service Enhancement: Evaluation of how services are delivered and staffed to identify models for efficiency, standardization, and scale.
• Facilities & Space Management: Evaluation of current governance structures, utilization, or other efficiency measures.
• Cost Rationalization: Analysis of current and multi-year financial trends to identify cost drivers for reduction.
• Procurement & Spend Efficiency: Assessment of spend to identify variation, duplication, and potential consolidation.

REAPS representatives will meet with governance groups throughout the month of October to provide an overview of REAPS and a venue to ask questions or share ideas about the initiative.

The second phase of the initiative is focused on exploring and validating hypotheses within each opportunity area. No recommendations have been identified or decided at this stage. The process starts by identifying where opportunities exist; hypotheses will then be tested through data analysis, benchmarking, and input from functional and institutional leaders. An update on this phase of work is expected in January.

For more information, visit the REAPS website to stay up to date with progress and review frequently asked questions. Additionally, please share any questions or comments about REAPS through this email form.