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The Iowa state Board of Regents will meet by telephone today to discuss and possibly approve the final members of what would be a 13-person committee.

The list includes Sarah Vigmostad, graduate student in biomedical engineering; Jarjisu Sa-Aadu, finance professor; Cheryl Reardon, assistant to the dean/vice president for research; Gene Parkin, civil-environmental engineering professor; Ed Folsom, English professor; Sarah England, associate professor of physiology and biophysics, and Elizabeth Chrischilles, epidemiology professor.

Several regents and campus leaders applaud the committee's overall broad base, but many are critical about the lack of an undergraduate student, but are OK with no regents. Regent President Pro Tem Teresa Wahlert, who led the initial presidential search, was criticized for including four regents on the initial committee.

"I am disappointed only in the fact there are so many undergraduates. Graduates and undergraduates have different needs," said student regent Jenny Connolly of Cedar Falls. "We have been vocal about what we wanted, but ultimately they went with what they thought was best."

A turbulent seven-month, $216,441 initial search ended Nov. 17 when six regents voted down four finalists and disbanded the initial 19-member search committee. ThPe second search started with the naming of College of Dentistry Dean David Johnsen as chairman Dec. 18. Five initial members were named Jan. 11, including Linda Maxson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Paul Rothman, internal medicine professor; Lee Anna Clark, psychology professor; Jonathan Carlson, law professor; and Leonard Hadley, retired Maytag executive and Earthpark board member.

"I think they have very highly qualified people and will represent the institution well," said Iowa City Regent Bob Downer, noting he too hoped for an undergraduate. "In a process of this nature, no one ends up with everything he or she wishes."

Faculty and staff leaders were mostly pleased with the committee, though they expressed disappointment in no undergraduate student or community member.

Faculty Senate President Sheldon Kurtz, a UI law professor, said, "Looks like an appropriately balanced committee from my perspective."

Staff Council President Mary Greer said, "There is nobody from the Iowa City community, which is also a disappointment to me. It was great to have (Iowa City Mayor) Ross Wilburn on the committee. It would have been more balanced to have someone from the community because we work so closely together."

UI student representatives did not return phone calls Monday.

The full committee next will meet to decide its process. The goal is to name a successor by July 1 for David Skorton, who announced a year ago he would be the next president at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

"It is very important to settle on a process and get regential approval," said Steve Collins, a UI computer and electrical engineering professor and chairman of the search that led to Mary Sue Coleman's hiring. "You get into trouble by not having a process laid out."

Collins said they would need to consider strategies for identifying candidates, deciding how to narrow the pool, how to ensure diversity in the pool and whether to include on-campus interviews.

Downer urged regents when they meet to discuss the Iowa state Ombudsman's recommendations that regents, among other things, look at on-campus interviews.

"At a minimum, we should be discussing his recommendations," Downer said.