Return to Nicholas Johnson's Iowa Rain Forest ("Earthpark") Web Site

Return to Nicholas Johnson's Blog, FromDC2Iowa
 
 

[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.]

"I do not believe that a legislative request for a professor's salary, a request that I understand was made clearly and openly to the Provost's office, is either inappropriate or an attempt to intimidate. Nor do I believe that repeating that information is inappropriate," Gartner said in an e-mail.

In Saturday's Press-Citizen, Gartner had been cited as not responding to a reporter's e-mail. Gartner did reply, but the e-mail was received after the reporter had left for the evening.

After a request by an unnamed legislator, Steinke asked on Nov. 6 for salaries and course loads of search committee vice-chairpersons Francois Abboud, also a distinguished faculty member in the Carver College of Medicine, and Katherine Tachau, also a UI history professor. In addition, the same information was requested about Faculty Senate president and law professor Sheldon Kurtz, who served on the campus advisory committee.

Steinke said in an e-mail that the request was made by phone, and that it was not unusual. He said he receives information requests regularly and "he never asks anyone why they want public information."

Steinke declined to provide the name of the legislator.

Kurtz, Tachau and Regent Bob Downer of Iowa City said the request was inappropriate and possibly an intimidation attempt.

Tachau said Gartner had used the information to malign her to student government representatives by discussing her salary and workload.

Gartner said Tachau had told her this information, which is public, months earlier, and he had not seen the contents of the information request.

"I suspect there are people in this state who would think that $85,000 for nine months and the teaching of one course are simply interesting facts. And she says I maligned her to the 'student government.' I have never spoken to the 'student government,' though I meet every six weeks or so with student representatives of all three student governments. There usually are two representatives of the University of Iowa there. I could well have commented on her salary and teaching load, because I find that interesting," Gartner said in the e-mail.

Downer, who had been critical of the timing and appropriateness of the request, said looking at the course load of teachers is not representative of their course work because they engage in research and other non-course-related job activities.

An e-mail was sent by associate vice president Donald Szeszycki to an administrative assistant about 8 a.m. Nov. 6 requesting information about Kurtz and Tachau. The subject for the e-mail says in capital letters "(Board of Regents) info request -- quick turnaround requested (30 minutes or less)."

In part of the message, Szeszycki states, "I just received an information request for the fall 2006 teaching loads for Shelly Kurtz and Katherine Tachau. I need to know the courses they are teaching and the credit hours each course carries. Please do not share this request with Shelly and Katherine at this point. BOR want this information pronto."