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Iowan nominated to federal post calls for reform of universities
An Iowan nominated by President Trump to serve in the U.S. Department of Education says American universities must be reformed.
David Barker, an economist and real estate developer from Iowa City, has been nominated to be Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. He’s served on the board that governs the three state universities since May of 2019.
“In my years on the Iowa Board of Regents, I’ve battled a liberal university establishment, but I needed facts to do that,” Barker said. “Universities are slippery. They’ll convince you, ‘Oh, we’re not liberal at all. We’re all fair,’ but I matched our employee list with voter registration data and found that Republicans are extremely rare on the faculty and in university administration.”
Barker said his personal review also found nearly all the “politically-oriented” books that were required reading for courses at Iowa, Iowa State and UNI were liberal. “Those books argue that teachers should not be politically neutral in the classroom,” Barker said, “that social workers should not worry about helping individuals, but should work for political change, and that political violence is needed and good.”
Barker, who made his comments during a speech at this weekend’s Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition banquet, told the crowd he helped create centers at Iowa, Iowa State, and U-N-I that will provide ideological balance. “I pushed to close departments and end indoctrination sessions, but there is much more to be done,” Barker said, “and I hope to do it in my new role as Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education in the Trump Administration.”
Barker’s current term on the Board of Regents expires in the spring of 2031, and the U-S Senate has not yet scheduled a hearing on his nomination to serve in the Trump Administration. If confirmed, Barker would oversee federal financial aid programs for students and accreditation of colleges and universities. Barker, who is 64, graduated from Iowa City West High School and went on to get a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago. Barker was an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and has taught at the University of Chicago and the University of Iowa.
Barker is a member of the Iowa Republican Party’s State Central Committee and co-chair of its finance committee. His Iowa City-based company owns, manages, and develops apartments and other properties.
