UI presidential search group to meet Friday

IOWA CITY - A 21-member group charged with helping find the next University of Iowa president will meet for a second time Friday to discuss 'in more concrete terms” how the search will proceed in the coming months.

The public meeting, scheduled to last four hours, will continue the discussion with Parker Executive Search - a firm the Board of Regents hired for a total set fee of $200,000 to help conduct the nationwide hunt.

According to a contract with Parker made public Monday, the firm will charge the board in three increments of $66,666.66 at the start of the search, at the 30-day mark, and then after 60 days. In addition to the fee, Parker will bill for direct expenses related to teleconference calls, research and delivery services, and travel costs. Expenses will not top 10 percent of the total fee, according to the contract.

Expenses associated with advertising, committee travel, and candidate travel will be invoiced separately. And, if the chosen candidate leaves the university within 12 months, Parker will 'conduct an assignment” to replace him or her without charging an additional fee but still receiving reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses.

The search committee, led by UI Vice President of Medical Affairs and soon-to-be interim UI president Jean E. Robillard, first met in March. During that meeting, a Parker representative discussed the need to craft a position description and begin advertising and recruiting aggressively.

The expectation, according to Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter, is to spend the summer amassing a group of 70 to 80 candidates, conduct 12 to 14 off-campus interviews in August, and bring three to four finalists to campus in late August or early September.

At that point, the finalists' names will be made public, according to Rasetter, and community members will be invited to weigh in. The Board of Regents will make the final hiring decision.

Parker President Laurie Wilder during the first search committee meeting stressed the need to keep candidate names confidential until the campus visits. Leaks, she said, can jeopardize the careers of potential candidates and prompt them to drop out of contention.

She said other top universities are searching for new leaders, including some that don't make any portion of their process public, ramping up competition and making recruiting qualified candidates more difficult.

But several of those competing universities have named presidents since March.

The University of Oregon, for example, on April 14 announced its board of trustees had chosen a new president - Michael H. Schill, dean and law professor at the University of Chicago.

Less than a week later, the University of Texas System Board of Regents named Gregory L. Fenves as its next president. Fenves has served as UI Austin's provost and executive vice president since 2013.

The University of Washington remains in the middle of its search, holding public forums this week on qualities its community wants in a next president.

Outgoing UI President Sally Mason announced in January her plans to retire Aug. 1. The Board of Regents last month appointed Robillard to take over on an interim basis at that time. Rastetter said a new UI president could be in place by Jan. 1, 2016.

Robillard has said he has no interest in succeeding Mason on a permanent basis, and he will continue in his role leading UI Health Care while serving as interim president. He will not receive any additional compensation while serving in the dual role, Rastetter said.

Robillard's gross pay in 2014 was $762,276, according to the state employee salary book. Mason's salary stands at $525,828.

If you go:

What:

Presidential search committee meeting

When:

10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday

Where:

Carver Biomedical Research Building on the UI campus, Kelch Conference Room, 1289

Live audio streaming of the meeting will be available here.