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[Note: This material is copyright by the Des Moines Register, 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 Des Moines Register.]

The Iowa Board of Regents voted unanimously late this afternoon to select David Johnsen, dean of the U of I College of Dentistry and the longest-serving dean at the U of I, to lead the presidential search committee. Johnsen said he would be glad to lead the search.

“All the deans think we need to do everything we can to engage the community,” Johnsen said tonight.

The U of I has been in tumult since Nov. 17, when the regents voted 6-2 to reject four presidential finalists. The move outraged U of I faculty, staff and student groups, which have since overwhelmingly approved resolutions of no confidence in the regents leadership.

The composition of the committee, which interviews candidates and selects finalists, has been hotly debated as groups vie for influence. Faculty leaders wanted one of their own to lead the group, but said Johnsen was a good choice.

“He’s an absolutely first-rate individual and he’ll make an excellent chair,” said Sheldon Kurtz, chairman of the U of I Faculty Senate.

However, faculty were upset at the method regents used for choosing Johnsen. Engineering Professor Steve Collins said there had been no contact with faculty, staff or student groups to get their input on the search committee chair, despite regents’ promises to engage the campus.

“Some lessons they haven’t learned,” Kurtz added.

Regents President Michael Gartner said he hopes the board can name a search committee in the first week of January. Regents said they would like to select a president by this summer.

Several regents brought up other aspects of the search committee, such as whether regents or students should serve. Gartner said there were differing opinions on the board and that he would talk with regents individually before calling the board back together for a decision.

Regent Rose Vasquez said she preferred a group conference call, where she could hear other regents’ opinions.

“If it’s possible and we could get on the phone we could hammer these things out. It’s probably as efficient as this barrage of emails and the polling. It might serve our purposes,” she said.

Regent Amir Arbisser, of Davenport, said last week he would like a search committee of 10-12 people who would decide whether to hold on-campus interviews. This was a sticking point with the last search committee. Regents leaders said early on there would be on-campus interviews, but started to pull back as top candidates wanted their names to remain secret.

Regent Mary Ellen Becker of Oskaloosa has said she would eliminate on-campus interviews — long a tradition in Iowa — if it meant getting a better president.
Kurtz said Monday faculty are committed to seeking public, on-campus interviews.

“If they (candidates) can’t be open, maybe this isn’t the right institution for them,” he said.

Kurtz sent a letter to the regents today asking for a special meeting in January to discuss the processes used to select presidents at Iowa’s three public universities. Regents Executive Drector Gary Steinke denied the request.