UI bringing four provost finalists to campus soon

Finalists to become the next provost at the University of Iowa likely will start visiting campus in the next week or so, UI President Sally Mason said Wednesday.

Mason, speaking to the UI Staff Council, said she expects four finalists will visit campus for interviews and public forums.

“I'm very pleased with the pool,” she said.

A UI search committee led the process to find candidates. They interviewed a larger pool of candidates off campus before choosing the finalists, Mason said. The name of and information about each finalist will be released just before each campus visit, she said.

Mason is seeking a replacement for former provost Wallace Loh, who left last fall after two years to become president at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Some people have expressed concern about Loh's short tenure as UI provost, Mason said, but she is not overly worried about that. It shows that UI leaders are in demand elsewhere, she said.

“It tells me we made a good choice,” she said.

During her visit to the Staff Council, Mason also talked about the budget, UI flood recovery and university growth.

The university's budget picture likely will continue to be rough for a year or two, Mason said, but the state financial situation is improving.

“I don't think it's going to be nearly as rough as it's been,” she said.

UI officials expect more growth in student enrollment next fall, Mason said, which helps boost tuition revenues. But that also means needing more instructors to teach the additional students, she said.

“It could be a substantial bump,” she said of projected enrollment growth.