Regents displayed poor judgment

To the editor:

The University of Iowa's new president is Bruce Harreld. Any reasonable assessment of his CV would disqualify him for serious consideration. Yet he was one of four culled from a list of 46 applicants. The most important aspect of this situation seems to me to be the manifestly poor judgment of the Board of Regents in making the selection and, by extension, the inadequate leadership of our increasingly tiresome governor.

Harreld is ensconced in Iowa City with a budget crafted with little apparent regard for our investment in one of Iowa's most effective economic engines, or any acknowledgment of the institution's role relative to sister institutions. The University of Iowa is a far greater asset than an expense and, in terms the Regents may understand, allowing the equity the people of Iowa have in the university to decay is, at the very least, malpractice. This may be the best argument yet for an elected Board of Regents and term limits on Terrace Hill.

Tim Crosby

Cedar Rapids