UNI interim president makes his case for the job

CEDAR FALLS - University of Northern Iowa presidential finalist Jim Wohlpart spent his day interviewing for the position and hearing about the ways the campus community struggles to articulate its identity, or its brand.

He called it one of the central challenges facing the university, not that it doesn't do 'remarkable” things but it struggles to convey these things are remarkable.

Wohlpart, 52, said during a public forum as part of his interview process that it is not just an issue facing this particular institution, but one with which higher education as a whole needs to grapple.

'We are now being defined from the outside, and that definition of higher education is focusing more and more and almost exclusively on getting jobs,” Wohlpart told the crowd of more than 200 in Maucker Union. 'The vocationalization of higher education has forgotten the public good that is at the heart of what we do in public higher education.”

Wohlpart, who serves as UNI's interim president and had been its provost and vice president of academic affairs, is one of three finalists vying to be UNI's 11th president. Former UNI President Bill Ruud announced this spring he took a job as president at private Marietta College in Ohio.

Wohlpart said the irony of the new national narrative is that employers tell universities they want employees that have a 'liberal education that empowers students to deal with complexity, diversity and change.”

Wohlpart said one of his goals and efforts would be to help convey a singular narrative of the university to the community and the state.

He offered two examples of how the university has opportunities to better share its successes.

Wohlpart noted the university won two national awards and one international award, and saw few hands raise when he asked whether the UNI community knew about those. He also said another university recently earned news coverage for starting real-life service projects in their community, and said UNI could have had a story like that done decades ago.

'We just kind of do that work, win the awards, and then go on to the next project. We need to stop and celebrate that work, and make certain that we're elevating that work in these kinds of ways,” Wohlpart said.

He said the Iowa Board of Regents and others are going to be 'sick and tired” of hearing him tout the ways faculty and staff engage with students to help them 'become prepared professionally and active and engaged citizens.”

Though he faced some challenging questions from faculty about what they called his lack of discussion about their role, Wohlpart made clear that student success is not possible without dedicated faculty and staff.

He also stressed the importance of helping students find their purpose and passion and tie that to a vocation. He also talked about the challenges facing universities with regard to accessibility, affordability and accountability.

Wohlpart also said the university has much work to do in increasing its diversity and inclusion efforts. Though he touted successes at his previous institution, Florida Gulf Coast University, in growing diversity, Wohlpart said more work needs to be done to truly be inclusive.

'If I am so honored to be selected as the 11th president of the University of Northern Iowa, we will work together - faculty, staff, students, Regents, alumni, donors, legislators, community members - to respond to the challenges of our time. And in our collective response, we will elevate this remarkable institution to national prominence,” Wohlpart said.

He added, 'There is nothing that we can't do, no crisis that we can't manage, if we come together as a community.”