University of Iowa Criticized for Considering Corporate Gift With Strings

A proposed $15-million donation by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield to the University of Iowa — which comes with a plan to rename the College of Public Health after the company or its foundation — has stirred controversy at the university and with Iowa’s governor, reports The Gazette, in Cedar Rapids.

The company’s history with the college includes a prickly period in 2004 and 2005 when the two parties battled through contract negotiations, the newspaper reports, a dispute that resulted in Wellmark’s president stepping down as president of the university’s board.

Faculty members at the university said they were concerned about the precedent set by naming the college after a corporation or foundation, especially one that has close ties to the institution.

However, Gary Fethke, interim president of the university, expressed optimism at such a public-private partnership, saying he is “thrilled for the opportunity of the college.”

The College of Public Health is in the midst of a $44.7-million capital campaign, of which $20.7-million has been pledged by the state and another $6-million raised privately.