Iowa regents move forward with UNI search

AMES - The Board of Regents on Thursday kicked off the search process for a new University of Northern Iowa president by authorizing their executive director to develop a process and timetable.

Executive Director Robert Donley, along with regents President Pro Tem Katie Mulholland, will meet with key constituents - including UNI faculty - before coming back with a timeline and proposed process for replacing UNI President Bill Ruud, who last month announced plans to leave for the presidency at Marietta College, a small private school in Ohio Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter said that could be in August, as the board isn't going to rush the process while many faculty, staff, and students are gone this summer.

During Ruud's final Board of Regents meeting on Thursday, the board officially named Provost Jim Wohlpart interim president, effective July 3. Regents also accepted Ruud's resignation, effective July 2.

Ruud praised his new academic home as a 'wonderful opportunity,” calling it the 'Grinnell on the Ohio River on the east side of the country.” But he also expressed 'mixed emotions” about leaving Iowa and cited some of his accomplishments at UNI - driving up enrollment, decreasing debt, and raising millions.

The board on Thursday honored Ruud, who announced during the meeting that UNI is expecting a total enrollment in the upcoming fall of 12,045 students, well over last fall's 11,981. The school also has registered 300 more returning students compared to the same time last year, and 1,972 freshman have accepted admission, up 59 students or 3.1 percent.

Participation at UNI alumni events has increased by several thousand since 2012-13, when Ruud arrived, and the institution has surpassed fundraising goals, bringing in $41 million for a scholarship initiative.

When Ruud announced his plans to leave last month, he told The Gazette he was 'recruited hard” for the Marietta post, although his contract at UNI expired June 1, and the Board of Regents had not renewed it.

Ruud has received annual pay raises, bringing him to a final salary of $357,110, and he could have continued working without a contract, like former University of Iowa President Sally Mason. But some have questioned whether the board's decision not to renew Ruud's contract was part of an effort to push him out.

Critics of the board have said they'll be watching the search for his replacement closely after the hunt for a new University of Iowa president last year resulted in campus discord and turmoil over the selection of businessman Bruce Harreld.

Harreld was aggressively recruited by Rastetter and, unlike other candidates, participated in undisclosed meetings throughout the search process with search committee members, faculty, and interim UI President Jean Robillard, according to media investigations. When Harreld was introduced as a finalist to the campus, he faced widespread criticism that had faculty, staff, and students asking the board to choose any of the other three options.

The board days later unanimously agreed to hire Harreld, a former IBM executive with no academic administrative experience. That decision resulted in votes of no-confidence in the board from UI faculty and student government leaders, and the American Association of University Professors launched an investigation of shared governance violations.

The association later this month is expected to decide on a possible censure regarding the UI presidential search.

If the board's UNI search mirrors its UI search, the board will proceed by developing a search committee, hiring a search firm, and holding a series of public meetings before narrowing its list of finalists.

For the UI search, a broad group of finalists was interviewed in closed session before three or four finalists were named publicly and introduced to campus. The board asked for public feedback and then made a decision.

Search experts nationally have said UNI should attract a decent pool of quality candidates, although some academics have said they'll be watching for potential impact from the UI controversy.