Iowa Board of Regents launches search for next executive director

The Iowa Board of Regents on Monday officially launched its search for a new executive director after a committee approved a job advertisement and position description and agreed on qualities, attributes and qualifications it wants in the next leader.

By these standards a successful candidate chosen to succeed Robert Donley - who on Friday leaves his post as head of the nine-member board that governs Iowa's public universities - should, among other things, have a record of success in state-level higher education or governmental administration.

He or she also should possess 'an ability to approach controversy constructively and a commitment to a fair process in its resolution,” along with 'unquestionable personal integrity,” according to criteria the board plans to use to evaluate candidates.

Regents Patty Cownie, Sherry Bates and Nancy Boettger, make up a 'governance and evaluation” committee charged with leading the search for a new executive director, who acts under the board that governs University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and University of Northern Iowa. Those institutions, according to Monday's new advertisement, have a combined enrollment of about 82,000, total faculty and staff of more than 26,000, and a $5.7 billion 2017 budget.

Based on the ad posted to the board's website and imminently in publications like the Chronicle of Higher Education, a new executive director will make a base salary of between $100,840 and $154,300 - per a legislative cap outlined in state law.

That cap drew attention during Donley's tenure, as the board for years skirted it - at times paying him more than double - through bonuses and deferred compensation. Donley in 2015 made $338,466 and in 2016 made $287,267. He made almost double again in the budget year that just ended thanks to a deferred compensation payout of $140,000 - bringing his total pay to $294,300.

The board did not approve any new or recent deferred compensation or bonus packages that have yet to pay out, and after announcing his resignation in June, Donley told reporters the salary cap is unusual and makes the Iowa position among the lowest-paid of its kind nationally.

'It is one of the only states that, by law, caps the salary of the executive director or chancellor,” he said in June, noting it as an issue when he was recruited nine years ago.

'The board is going to have to deal with that,” he said at the time, suggesting the Legislature consider removing the ceiling.

The salary range offered at the time of Donley's hire in 2008 was $97,906 to $149,802 - meaning the ranged has inched up slightly. Aside from pay and statistics about the regent universities, little in the advertisement and job qualifications approved Monday differed from those posted in 2008.

The only notable difference in this year's position description came in the list of 'characteristic duties and responsibilities,” charging the board's next executive director 'be highly organized and able to prioritize among competing priorities.”

The rest of the advertisement's language is nearly identical.

'It is important that the successful candidate be a visionary who can develop and nurture close working relationships with the legislative and executive branches of the state government in addition to the Board of Regents,” the 2008 and 2017 ads state. 'The successful candidate must be a hands-on manager with outstanding leadership, decision making, budgetary and communication skills, both oral and written. Obviously, a demonstrated track record of success in managing a large complex organization is important.”

A timeline for the executive director search has the committee identifying semifinalists and suggesting finalists for board consideration in August, with final selection planned for September.

In the meantime, the board's State Relations Officer Keith Saunders has been tapped as interim executive director - for which he'll make $200,000. That is $50,000 above his current pay and $45,700 above the position's legislative cap, which he is not subject to as interim, according to board officials.

Although Donley officially leaves the board this week, regents President Mike Richards on June 1 - the same day Donley tendered his resignation - gave him a letter indicating his transition would begin immediately.

'Effective immediately and through the date of your resignation, I am reassigning your responsibilities as executive director,” Richards wrote in the letter. 'During this time, your sole responsibility will be to assist with the transition at my direction.”

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