Community, faculty assisted search for University of Iowa president about to kick off

University of Iowa faculty and student leaders will host a series of town hall meetings next week to gather input on qualities and qualifications the campus wants in its next president.

The Board of Regents last week announced Jean E. Robillard, vice president for UI medical affairs, will chair a 21-member 'search and screen committee” for the university's 21st president. The committee also will include three regents, two representatives from the UI Foundation, two representatives from the UI Alumni Association, a designee from the UI Tippie College of Business, representatives from UI Staff Council, UI Student Government, and UI Graduate and Professional Student Government.

Faculty members will boast the largest representation on the committee, with seven people, including the president and president-elect of the UI Faculty Senate. Regents will choose the other five faculty members - along with two members of the public - based on nominations.

The Faculty Senate will identify faculty nominees, and the Board of Regents will accept nominations for the public spots through Thursday.

A full list of committee members is expected to be announced Feb. 16 - the same day as the first town hall meeting. Robillard is hosting that one-hour forum for the campus and larger community at noon in the Iowa Memorial Union.

Three additional public forums are scheduled for Feb. 20 - one for students, one for staff, and one for faculty. Committee leaders will use the forums as an opportunity to gather feedback on the skills, experience, qualifications, and characteristics campus constituents want in their next leader.

The input will be included in a job description to be advertised nationally for the presidential post, which will become vacant Aug. 1 when outgoing President Sally Mason retires. Mason, who became the institution's 20th president in 2007, last month announced plans to retire this summer, saying it feels like the right time both personally and professionally.

Mason saw the institution through the Flood of 2008, the subsequent recession, several sexual assault scandals, and - most recently - an efficiency review of all three regent institutions and a significant change in funding for the universities that could pull millions in state appropriations from UI.

Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter has said the upcoming presidential search will look similar to those at Iowa State University and University of Northern Iowa, although it could take longer. The ISU search lasted three months, and the UNI search took four months, but Rastetter said the board is not going to rush the process and could end up appointing an interim president.

The UI presidential search puts on hold two other searches for high-ranking vacancies at the university. UI Senior Vice President and Treasurer Doug True recently retired after 27 years with the institution, and Director of Public Safety Chuck Green left after 29 years at the university.

Those roles have been filled on an interim basis, and UI spokeswoman Jeneane Beck said the university will wait to hire permanent replacements until a new president is chosen. A search committee had been formed for True's replacement, also headed by Robillard, according to Beck. No search committee had yet been convened for Green's replacement.

The Board of Regents is hiring a firm to help conduct the presidential search, and it plans to choose a firm by Thursday.

IF YOU GO:

A community town hall meeting is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. Feb. 16 in the Iowa Memorial Union second-floor ballroom.

A student town hall meeting is scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon Feb. 20 in the Iowa Theatre of the Iowa Memorial Union.

A staff town hall meeting is scheduled from 2 to 3 p.m. Feb. 20 in the Iowa Theatre of the Iowa Memorial Union.

A faculty town hall meeting is scheduled from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in the Iowa Theatre of the Iowa Memorial Union.

To nominate members of the public to serve on the search committee, submit names, contact information, and a brief summary - 250 words or less - of their qualifications to Marcia Brunson, policy and operations officer for the Board of Regents, at mbruns@iastate.edu by 5 p.m. Thursday.