Return to Nicholas Johnson's Main Web Site www.nicholasjohnson.org

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

Return to Nicholas Johnson's Blog, FromDC2Iowa
 
 

First search tops $200,000

UI presidential hunt spent $1,000 on IMU food

Brian Morelli

Iowa City Press-Citizen

December 20, 2006

[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.]



The total for the initial search for a new University of Iowa president has topped $200,000 and still could grow.

A new search is under way with UI College of Dentistry Dean David Johnsen chairing the search, but the cost for the seven-month search is rising.

The Iowa state Board of Regents provided an updated list of expenses Tuesday in response to a Freedom of Information Act request made by the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

The new total includes $3,930 for a two-day meeting at the Echo Valley Country Club in Des Moines. This is where regents and the now disbanded search committee and advisory committee interviewed seven semifinalists Nov. 10 and 11.

The records include a bill from the Radisson Hotel Des Moines Airport for hotel rooms for the interviews for $2,116.46.

From the Des Moines interviews, four finalists were nearly unanimously recommended to the regents. The regents, including four that served on the search committee, rejected the list Nov. 17 and voted to restart the search. Gov. Tom Vilsack urged regents to give the finalists a second shot, but after a consensus was reached for one of the finalists, the unidentified person declined further consideration Dec. 6.

The Des Moines interviews originally were scheduled for Chicago but were moved at the last minute when the media learned interviews will occur in Chicago. Even though the trip to Chicago was canceled, financial records show a trip was planned.

There is a $1,800 bill for a Windstar Lines deluxe motor coach for travel to Chicago. That was the only expense related to the canceled Chicago trip received.

Other details from expenses filed include $1,115 for publishing a presidential search brochure and more than $1,000 in food over the course of the search from the Iowa Memorial Union.