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[Note: This material is copyright by The Daily Iowan, 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 Daily Iowan.]

The regents' controversial decision comes after the search committee issued"nearly unanimous" support for four of the seven candidates interviewed Nov. 10-11 in Des Moines, said Katherine Tachau, former committee vice-chairwoman and UI professor.

All four candidates were from academia, but for confidentiality reasons, committee members did not divulge their names.

The presidential hopefuls were vying to replace former UI President David Skorton, who resigned earlier this year to assume the top post at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Former business dean Gary Fethke is serving as interim president.

Members of the search committee, the advisory committee, and the regents were present during the Des Moines interviews. But all four regents serving on the search committee - Teresa Wahlert, Michael Gartner, Ruth Harkin, and Amir Arbisser - voted against the potential candidates in Friday's 6-2 vote.

Regents Bob Downer and Rose Vasquez voted to keep the search committee, while Regent Jenny Connolly abstained.

The move was met with shock, disappointment, and confusion among the 25 people listening in on the telephonic conference in Jessup Hall. No reason was offered by the regents during the brief noon phone conference as to why the candidates were rejected.

"The Board of Regents decision is the final betrayal of a process that has been marked at every stage by hostility on the part of the board leadership," Tachau said. "This reflects a loss of mutual confidence."

UI Faculty Council President Sheldon Kurtz called the move a "stab in the back" while Staff Council President Mary Greer said the regents failed the UI, as well as the state of Iowa.

Many in attendance also called it an embarrassment to the UI and to the regents.

Some members of the committee, including Tachau, hypothesized that the rejection reflected the fact that Board President Michael Gartner did not get his candidate of choice.

"I would speculate Michael Gartner did not get his candidate forwarded by the committee," Tachau said, following the announcement.

But regents said Friday that the UI needs a president with a broader range of skills.

Gartner said in a statement that the UI "needed candidates who had more experience as leaders who oversaw complex health-sciences operations as well as the myriad of other academic and non-academic operations of a large university."

Arbisser, who proposed the motion, said the candidates were highly-qualified, but not specifically fit for a complex institution such as the UI.

"There was not someone there who was able to cover all the bases," he said.

UI Student Government President Peter McElligott told friends and colleagues to expect to see a new president by the end of Friday.

He himself was taken completely by surprise.

"It is so insulting," he said. "They have thrown down the gauntlet."

"The board has made a large mistake," he added.

The most recent search process was markedly different than past attempts, said Salome Raheim, an associate professor of social work, who served on the committee.

The last search, of which she was also a member, was very organized, smooth, enjoyable, and democratic, she said.

Members of this search committee also said this search was also more secretive than previous ones.

Several members of the committee, although they stressed the importance of protecting candidates' confidentiality, said they were asked to sign broad-reaching confidentiality agreements that would have prevented them from telling their family where they were going or even from being reimbursed for travel expenses.

Regents Downer and Vasquez, who were in the minority in Friday's vote, could not be reached for comment.

Currently, no timetable is in place for a new president nor is it known if there will be another presidential search committee.

Tachau said she would not join if asked again.