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The Iowa state Board of Regents will meet by telephone at 5 p.m. Monday. The board must decide who should lead and how big a committee is needed in restarting the search to replace now Cornell University president David Skorton.

"My hope is that we at least come out with some parameters having been established as far as selecting a search committee ... and learn from mistakes made last time," Iowa City Regent Bob Downer said.

The initial seven-month, $195,000 search faltered after regents voted Nov. 17 to reject four finalists. Upon reconsidering the finalists at Gov. Tom Vilsack's urging, an unnamed candidate, with majority regent support, was contacted, but backed out Dec. 6, prompting a new search.

Since then, five UI campus groups nearly unanimously passed no-confidence resolutions in Regent President Michael Gartner and President Pro-tem Teresa Wahlert. In addition, the Johnson County Democrats asked Vilsack to demand that Gartner and Wahlert resign, and Regent Tom Bedell of Spirit Lake resigned Thursday.

Early considerations for the committee have centered on whether a dean or a senior faculty member should lead the search committee, how many, if any, regents be on the search committee and how many people should be appointed.

"My own view would be to opt for one with significant (constituents represented). That may be better than one seen as ultra efficient, but I think we can work through that," Downer said, adding that it likely would be four to six weeks before a committee is appointed.

Downer also said his view is that regents should make a decision about whether to require on- campus interviews and that should be decided before appointing a committee.

Regent Amir Arbisser of Davenport said he prefers that the next search committee have the independence to decide about on-campus interviews. He also supports a relatively small committee with limited regent participation and a faculty chair.

"I would like there to be no more than one regent. It is useful to have a regent to communicate to the board, but not to dominate discussion," Arbisser said. "My personal preference might be to have a faculty member (chair the committee), but that's not a stand-and-die issue."

Gartner of Des Moines reportedly prefers a small committee with significant dean and donor presence. Gartner said there will not be additional fees from Atlanta-based search firm Heidrick and Struggles.

Wahlert of Waukee who chaired the initial search, has said a dean should lead the search and that none of the same people involved with the first, 19-person search committee should participate in the new committee.

Regent Mary Ellen Becker of Oskaloosa has said she prefers limited regent involvement and said she would support not having on-campus interviews if that meant getting the best candidate. Bedell recommended a cooling off period before restarting the search.

The UI deans have suggested a senior faculty member lead the search and that it conclude by July 1.

Faculty Senate President Sheldon Kurtz, who is among the leaders in the charge against Gartner and Wahlert, said he would prefer to see a senior faculty member lead the search.

"I believe the appropriate kind of search is campus-based, campus-lead with a faculty majority, and I believe led by a senior member of the faculty," Kurtz said. "The reason that it is inappropriate for a dean to lead the search in the current environment is that they are at-will appointees. It is important to have someone that is not subject to regential intervention leading the search."

Kurtz said he supports dean and alumni or donor representatives, but said having a donor or alum lead the search is unacceptable because they are not campus-based.

"If there is anything we've learned, it is that we need to nail down a process that everyone agrees on," Kurtz said.

Before the initial search and the University of Northern Iowa's recent presidential search, in recent Iowa history, search committees selected a list of finalists and had been campus directed. The regents' duty is to choose the president.

The initial UI search started in controversy with the decision for four regents on the committee and a regent leader, which also was controversial at UNI.

"I hope the regents start their meeting on Monday by talking about that the new search will use the long-standing search process that has served the university so well," said UI electrical and computer engineering professor Steve Collins, who chaired the search to replace Hunter Rawlings.

"The biggest downside is going with something different," Collins said. "People are going to ask why. They will have their suspicions. The quickest way to clear the air is to go back to something we all trust."