Students, faculty and staff weigh in on next University of Iowa president

IOWA CITY - University of Iowa students, faculty and staff have a picture in their minds of the institution's next president.

He or she will be an advocate for the entire campus, gifted in communication, well-educated and business-savvy, members of the campus community said Friday during a series of forums.

Iowa's 21st president will be present on campus, active in fundraising and supportive of the university's research mission. He or she won't be afraid to tackle controversial issues and take on the challenges of ending sexual violence on campus, improving sustainability efforts and addressing diversity concerns, students, staff and faculty members said Friday.

'I want to see a commitment to diversity in our hiring practices,” Kira Pasquesi, a UI doctoral and graduate assistant, said during the student forum. 'That might mean a president of color. I would be thrilled to see that at the UI.”

UI sophomore Jared Gillmore, 19, said he's involved in the campus' sustainability efforts and would like to see a new president committed to making major improvement in that area.

'Iowa is severely lacking in organization and in action plan,” Gillmore said. 'We have 2020 goals, but that doesn't cover as much as it should or as much as is necessary.'

Faculty members said they want a next president to work well with state lawmakers and the Board of Regents. Many had questions about the search process, and Faculty Senate President Alexandra Thomas said finalists' names will be made public and will participate in public forums on campus.

'This is exciting,” Thomas said, adding that only one other member of the Association of American Universities is looking for a new president - the University of Oregon.

'And they plan to close their search this spring,” she said. 'So that puts us in a great position.”

Outgoing President Sally Mason last month announced plans to retire Aug. 1, calling it the right time both personally and professionally. The Board of Regents is putting together a 21-member search committee for the next UI president, and last week it announced plans to hire Atlanta-based Parker Executive Search to help facilitate the process.

Jean E. Robillard, vice president for UI medical affairs, has been named chair of the committee, which will include representatives from the Board of Regents, UI faculty, staff, and students. The group hasn't met yet, and the board hasn't released names of individuals chosen to participate.

But UI Student Government Patrick Bartoski told his peers on Friday that he'll be in the group and will relay any and all of their feedback - including the importance of involving students in university decisions.

'President Mason has done a good job of getting us at the table on a lot of issues,” Bartoski said, adding that he'll push for continued shared governance in the next presidency.

UI Student Government Vice President Jeffrey Ding said the two student spots on the committee - one for undergraduate representation and one to represent graduate and professional students - 'should gain a lot of leverage.”

'This is a huge time for the UI,” said UI senior Hannah Walsh, who serves as the student representative on the state Board of Regents. 'There is a lot at stake. This is a really important decision.”

As Mason prepares to the leave the campus, it's preparing to grow by 500 students a year - in part - because the Board of Regents wants to change the way it funds Iowa's public universities by tying a majority of state dollars to resident enrollment.

The campus also is working to become more efficient - possibly resulting in restructuring and job cuts - as the result of a sweeping review of the state's public universities. UI administrators currently are accepting applications for an early retirement program aimed at eliminating positions through attrition rather than layoffs.

UI students, faculty, and staff on Friday said they want the campus' next leader to understand the breadth of the institution's mission - including its focus on research, graduate and professional programs, supporting the state's economy, and health care - considering it encompasses the UI Hospitals and Clinics.

And many students said they simply want their president to be friendly, approachable, and outgoing - engaging them over social media, in community forums, and on their way to class.