Firm wanted to aid in search for next UNI president

Leadership with Iowa's Board of Regents is in the 'very early stages” of developing a committee to advise the search for a new University of Northern Iowa president, and the board on Friday began looking for a search firm to facilitate the process.

Proposals from prospective firms are due July 15, and the board plans to make a final selection by July 29.

Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter has told reporters he doesn't want to rush the search to replace outgoing UNI President Bill Ruud, who is scheduled to become the 19th president of Marietta College in Ohio on Sunday. UNI Provost Jim Wohlpart will serve as UNI's interim president until a replacement is hired.

As the board embarks on its second presidential search in as many years, questions remain whether the process should be 'open” or 'closed.”

An open search would involve the public disclosure of finalist names, like the process used last fall to select Bruce Harreld to replace Sally Mason as University of Iowa president. That process was sharply criticized after the board disregarded widespread public disapproval of Harreld's candidacy and selected him anyway.

Controversy continued as news reports showed Rastetter and UI interim President Jean Robillard aggressively recruited Harreld and set up meetings for him with other regents and search committee members.

The UI Faculty Senate and UI Student Government issued votes of 'no confidence” in the Board of Regents for its selection of Harreld and the process leading up to it. The American Association of University Professors also recently sanctioned the University of Iowa - with an emphasis on its governing board - for violating shared governance values during the presidential search.

A closed search for the UNI president might mean finalist names would not become public, and the board - which makes the ultimate decision - would not seek public input.

Regent Pro Tem Katie Mulholland is working with the board's Executive Director Bob Donley to develop a search process and said they're reaching out to 'key constituent groups from the UNI community, including faculty, staff and students.”

'We want to get their input on what characteristics the next UNI president should have, as well as on the search process,” Mulholland said in a statement.

Mulholland said choosing a search firm is key in developing a timeline and process.

'It is important that we get a search firm in place so when we have our full process defined, we can move forward as quickly as possible with the selection,” she said.

The board in its request for proposals, which was issued Friday, lists expectations of its chosen firm, including helping a search committee screen and attract candidates and launch an advertising campaign. The firm would be expected to ensure affirmative action and equal opportunity requirements are met in amassing an applicant pool.

And the firm would be in charge of receiving applications, responding to applicants and ensuring their files and materials are complete. According to the board's request, the selected firm is responsible for conducting 'a thorough background search on all final prospects and initial searches on initial prospects.”

The firm is to help the committee choose a final group of three to five prospects, according to board documents, and confirm 'the authentication of all academic credentials and experiences of the prospects.”

For the UI search, the board paid Parker Executive Search $200,000 plus additional expenses for candidate travel, lodging, food and other costs. The board also used Parker for the Iowa State University presidential search in 2011 and for the UNI presidential search that netted Ruud in 2012. It paid the firm $95,000 for its serves at ISU and $90,000 for its work at UNI, not including expenses.

Some in the UI community criticized Parker following its most-recent regent search after The Gazette reported Harreld's resume included some inaccuracies, including that the firm he said he managed - Executing Strategy LLC, of Avon, Colo. - was not registered with the Secretary of State's Office there and had been dissolved in its state of origin, Massachusetts.

Critics also slammed Parker and the UI search committee for the lack of diversity among the four named finalists - they were all white men. Members of the search committee have told The Gazette they took great pains to encourage diversity among the applicant pool and thus did not violate any policies or regulations.