University of Iowa to interview nine candidates for president

A 21-member committee charged with whittling down a pool of prospects for the University of Iowa presidency agreed during a two-plus-hour meeting Tuesday on nine candidates they want to interview.

Those candidates, who have not been identified, were chosen from a pool of 46 prospects who expressed interest and submitted materials for the job. They will be invited to participate in 'airport interviews” on Aug. 11 and 12 - at a neutral location that has not yet been decided.

Only the three or four who are chosen as finalists will be publicly named and invited to campus in early September. The Board of Regents then will interview those finalists and likely name a new UI president shortly after.

Former UI President Sally Mason announced in January her plans to retire at the end of July. Jean Robillard, vice president of medical affairs for UI Health Care, is serving as interim UI president and also head of the search committee for Mason's replacement.

Anyone interested in the job had until Monday to submit application materials - although Parker Executive Search, hired to facilitate the hunt, advised the Board of Regents to consider late applicants who might be concerned about unwanted publicity.

But Robillard said all the candidates submitted materials on time and, although he didn't disclose details about the candidates, said he's pleased with the quality of the prospects.

'I think we have a tremendous pool of people,” he said, praising the 'umbrella” of talent and skills they represent, from their approach to higher education to their backgrounds.

'When we give the names at the end, the regents will have a choice,” Robillard said. 'I feel very good.”

During Tuesday's discussion, the 21 members of the search committee went through all 46 applicants and weighed pros and cons about their attributes as a potential leader, Robillard said.

'Those discussions are not easy, but they were done in a cordial fashion,” he said.