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Restarting UI president search

Editorial

The Gazette

November 22, 2006

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


  This is the shared dream. That on a beautiful day next spring, the new University of Iowa president makes a stirring installation speech, affirming the rich history of the UI and charting a promising future for the state’s largest university. The speech so inspires faculty, students, legislators, business leaders, alumni, regents and ordinary Iowans that the controversial search for the new president is already fading from memory. Everyone agrees that what matters now is that another great leader is in place at the University of Iowa.

  That’s the dream. But to get to that day, a whole lot needs to go right over the next few months. Because right now, there’s a great big mess that has ensnared virtually everyone who wants to be there applauding the new president.

  By the time the search for a new president was disbanded last week, the state Board of Regents had lost the trust and confidence of a large share of the UI faculty and staff.

  And, with the rejection of all four finalists for the presidency, no credibility remained for a search process that from the start has been bedeviled by public skepticism that was stoked by the inordinate amount of secrecy the regents insisted upon.

  If among the finalists there really was no one who would be an excellent UI president, then we’re glad the search is being restarted. If this search process resulted in four unqualified candidates, then it’s not enough to send the search committee back to the starting line with the same set of instructions. Fundamental improvements must be made in the process in order to ensure the best-qualified person can be hired and then succeed in the post.

  The regents can start by providing more openness. Share with the UI community and the public what criteria are being used to rate candidates, what are the expectations for the diversity of the applicant pool and finalists, how will the interview process work, how will UI faculty be consulted, how will the strategic plans of the Regents be shared with candidates (or will those strategic plans not be in place until after a president is hired). If something such as expertise in the health care field is an essential element of a resume — as regents seemed to suggest last week, for the first time — then make that be known upfront.

  The Board of Regents is and should be in charge of this process.

  It’s not a faculty-led search, nor should it be, but faculty input is invaluable.

  It makes no sense why the regents have so alienated the faculty during this search. And while some misgivings were specifically related to the process, surely those were exacerbated by the style in which the board and its chairman, Michael Gartner, have gone about their jobs. Getting the process right this time will begin to repair the damage done to the relationships between the regents and the rest of the UI community. Getting the right person for the job of president of the University of Iowa will make the ugly memories of this process start to fade the moment the applause begins for the new leader.