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"Certainly, it would be better for there to be a graduate and undergraduate on the list," Sarah Vigmostad, a UI graduate student, said on Feb. 2. "They each have unique concerns."

But just as quickly as she decried the exclusion of undergraduate representation and the committee's general lack of contact with that group of students, other panel officials explained their opposition to her request.

Committee member Linda Maxson, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said she frequently associates with undergraduates, and roughly half of the panel members raised their hands to demonstrate that they, too, interact with them.

Panel head David Johnsen said he is not against adding an undergraduate student, but the state Board of Regents has the final say. The regents had set a maximum of 12 committee members before the panel was assembled, but they allowed 13 to sit, he noted.

"If the committee were to increase in size, there would be a lot of groups that would want the committee to increase even more," the dental-school dean said.

Meanwhile, a sense of casual optimism prevailed during the meeting, and laughter peppered the hour-and-a-half discussion. But some members acknowledged that the search is still steeped in controversy.

"Three out of the five people I have talked to referred to the [presidential search] as the 'mess down there,' " said panel member Leonard Hadley, the retired CEO of Maytag Corp.

In November 2006, the regents voted 6-2 to reject all four presidential candidates nominated by the previous search committee, leading to the disbandment of the original panel.

The new group must surmount that negative disposition - and quickly, Johnsen said.

He said he hopes to winnow the number of applications and recommendations - which are already in the "double digits" - to a concise list that the panel can discuss within the next month.

To increase the number of applications, the committee must highlight the unique characteristics of the UI to attract the most competitive candidates, members said.

"We are a big, multifaceted university in a relatively small city," committee member Ed Folsom said.

Committee members have said they hope to select former UI President David Skorton's successor by July 1.