5 questions with University of Iowa’s new interim leader

IOWA CITY - As head of University of Iowa Health Care, chair of a committee searching for the next UI president, and now the acting UI president, Jean Robillard said he hopes the interim gig will be brief.

'We will probably have a president named in September,” he told reporters Thursday to mark his first official days at the helm. 'And I hope the person would be in place by the end of the calendar year.”

But the vice president for medical affairs also stressed he's honored to be in the interim role, and doesn't plan to put the university on cruise control until someone permanent takes over.

He said he's not ready to disclose any projects he wants to tackle while at the helm - only that 'there are a few issues I'm discussing with the vice president group.”

Robillard took a few minutes to answer questions about his expectations for the campus until the Board of Regents hires a permanent replacement for Sally Mason, whose has retired.

How will you manage the transition?

'What is important is that there is no lapse, and it's a seamless transition, and that is what we are working on,” Robillard said. 'I'm surrounded by outstanding people here.”

He said about 5,100 freshmen are expected on campus this fall, 500 more than last year.

'That's a 10 percent increase,” he said. 'That's fabulous.”

His focus will be on making sure they receive a top-tier education.

'We all are here for the students,” Robillard said. 'We are all about them and want to make sure they have the experience of their life.”

What have you done to transition into the interim role?

'I know the university quite a bit,” said Robillard, who has been vice president for UI Health Care since 2007 and before that served four years as dean of the Carver College of Medicine. 'There is a lot of interaction between what the university does and what we do.”

He said he has been briefed on various issues facing the campus through months of meetings with Mason and vice presidents.

'The other vice presidents have been so generous with their time and efforts,” he said. 'I feel good about this.”

What traits do you think the university needs in a president?

'You need a very clear vision,” he said.

The next president should be able to communicate well, articulate his or her vision and be accessible to students. And, to put it simply, he said, the campus wants a 'really good person.”

The last UI president search in 2007 took 17 months and was marred by no-confidence votes in the Board of Regents. Do you have concerns this search could last longer than expected?

'I'm quite vested in this and will do everything to not have that happen,” he said. 'That's not even in the cards.”

What are your thoughts on the proposed tuition increase for spring?

Robillard said the regents set tuition rates but added that all three of Iowa's public universities need tuition revenue.

'You take tuition away, this thing doesn't work,” he said. 'If you want higher qualified people at any of the three universities, I think you need resources. That is the role of the university, to train students the best we can and give them an outstanding education, and that's really what the tuition is used for.

'If you have more resources, you have better education.”