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Gregg Hennigan, Does New President Need Health Expertise?

Rachel Gallegos, UI Committee Maintains Openness

[Note: This material is copyright by the Des Moines Register, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of the Des Moines Register.]

The 13-member search committee, which held its fourth meeting Friday, has been talking to campus groups about the search process and gathering input about what the campus expects from the next leader, said David Johnsen, dean of the U of I College of Dentistry and chairman of the search committee.

While some committee members are hearing requests for on-campus visits, the committee has not yet decided this point, Johnsen said.

Some people worry that the U of I will lose top candidates if it identifies finalists.

"Three other Big 10 universities are searching," Johnsen said. "I believe Indiana and Purdue will have completely closed searches."

The committee adjourned its public session after about 45 minutes and met in private to discuss candidates.

"Right now, we are getting a lot of recommendations," Johnsen said. "It's a very busy process, checking and cross-checking names."

The search committee, charged with interviewing candidates and choosing finalists, will forward about four names to the Iowa Board of Regents.

Johnsen has said he hopes the regents name a new president by July 1, which will be about a year after David Skorton left the U of I to become president at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

The first phase of the presidential search broke down in November when the regents rejected four finalists chosen by a previous committee.

[Note: This material is copyright by The Gazette, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of The Gazette.]

  That’s a sharp contrast from views some state regents had when rejecting four initial UI presidential finalists with a 6-2 vote in November on the grounds that none had the necessary experience with the health sciences.

  Donna Katen- Bahensky, University Hospitals’ chief executive officer, said Friday she and her team told the UI presidential search committee last week that, while they would like to see health care experience, it’s not a must.

  ‘‘ In other words, it wouldn’t be a requirement, but it would be desirable,’’ she said.

  Katen- Bahensky said that view was not shared with the Board of Regents during an initial search the regents ran last year because hospital officials never were asked their opinions.

  The UI is seeking a successor to David Skorton, a cardiologist who left last June to become president at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

  ‘‘We cannot pick a president just because she or he has or does not have experience with health care,’’ said Dr. Jean Robillard, dean of the Carver College of Medicine and UI’s vice president for medical affairs.

  He said someone from a university with a medical college or hospital naturally would gain knowledge of those units, without being a physician or medical researcher. He cited as an example UI Provost Michael Hogan, a historian.

  ‘‘He has enough experience to know the risk and the benefit an academic health center represents to a university, and he is able to understand what we are doing,’’ Robillard said.

  Hogan was one of the presidential finalists the regents rejected in November.

  A new 13-member presidential search committee was formed last month and includes no regents, compared with four regents on the first committee.

  Regents President Michael Gartner declined Friday to say if he prefers finalists with at least minimal health-science experience. He said, however, a decision last month to make Robillard vice president for medical affairs ‘‘reduces, a bit, the concern I would have had.’’

  Committee Chairman David Johnsen, dean of the College of Dentistry, said he thought someone with health care experience ‘‘would have an advantage’’ in the current search. His committee discussed potential candidates for the first time Friday in executive session.

[Note: This material is copyright by the Press-Citizen, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of the Iowa City Press-Citizen.]

But it still is early -- this was only the committee's fourth meeting -- so mechanisms or options for interviews have not been discussed in depth yet, said Johnsen, dean of the UI College of Dentistry.

Openness about the search process has been a focus for the committee from the beginning.

"The meetings have all been open and will continue to be open," Johnsen said, unless it falls under the areas of closed session -- when they discuss candidates and potential candidates.

At the first meeting, Johnsen vowed openness throughout the process, including providing time, date and location before each meeting, conducting public meetings and providing weekly updates. Johnsen said he also will meet regularly with the regents.

With the initial presidential search, meetings were not public, notice was not provided and there were few updates.

In the meetings so far, "I think we've covered a lot of procedural matters," Johnsen said.

Another focus for the group is meeting with groups on and around campus formally or informally.

Committee members said Thursday that people at the university and in the general University of Iowa community feel strongly that the finalists interviews should be open and on campus.

"We'll continue to meet with groups," to ask questions and share the message of the group, he said.

Last week, Johnsen said 20 preliminary letters had been sent out to applicants and nominees.

The committee now is doing follow-up on those letters, double-checking with one another to make sure that only one member is making the connection with each candidate and that the communication is consistent with all candidates.

"As the list becomes longer, it becomes more important to cross check the list," he said.

The committee is charged with presenting four finalists to the Iowa state Board of Regents for selection of the next UI president. Johnsen has targeted July 1 to complete the search.

Former UI president David Skorton announced more than a year ago that he was leaving to become president at Cornell University. Regents disbanded the initial seven-month, $216,000 search with a 6-2 vote Nov. 17 that rejected four finalists.

The agenda for next week's meeting will be determined and posted early next week, Johnsen said.