Search Committee Meeting Minutes

February 9, 2007
N304 College of Dentistry
12:45 – 2:15 p.m.

Note: Our Presidential Search Committee continues to invite nominations for the next President of the University of Iowa.  Much very good work was done in the previous phase of the search and we are reassembling that information.  If you have not communicated with our present Search Committee, we urge you to do so.  We would rather receive a potential candidate’s name twice (or more) than risk not receiving an outstanding nomination.    

Committee Members Present:  Jonathan Carlson, Elizabeth Chrischilles, Lee Anna Clark, Sarah England, Ed Folsom, Leonard Hadley, David Johnsen, Linda Maxson, Gene Parkin, Cheryl Reardon, Paul Rothman, Jay Sa-Aadu, Sarah Vigmostad

Staff:  Sharon Scheib

Guests:  Gary Fethke, Interim President, University of Iowa; Susan Shullaw, Senior Associate to the UI President for Strategic Communication and Senior Vice President, UI Foundation; Marcella David, Special Assistant to the President for Equal Opportunity and Diversity and Associate Provost; Jennifer Modestou, Director of Campus Relations: Marcus Mills, Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, University of Iowa

The meeting was called to order at 12:45 by Dean David Johnsen, Committee Chair.  The minutes of February 2 meeting were accepted as submitted.

Gary Fethke, Interim President of the University, was introduced by Dean Johnsen.  President Fethke’s remarks focused on the abilities, duties, and obligations of the president.  To impress upon the Committee members the variety and scope of the UI president’s responsibilities, he shared a list of his activities for the past week.  He emphasized that the president’s job as an administrator is not to do the things that faculty do, but to enable them to develop to their full potential.

The president’s job is to set the strategic agenda for the University and in order to do that, he/she must know a great deal about this diverse and complicated institution.  The leaders of the UI must be able to articulate to students, parents, donors, alumni, Iowa citizens, and others what programs, activities, and services distinguish us from other institutions.  Such questions as, “Why would a prospective student select Iowa?  Why would a patient come to our health providers?  Why would a donor support us?” must be addressed.  To answer these questions, we need to develop, understand, and present a value proposition that describes the University of Iowa.  Essentially, we must compete on many fronts, and to compete effectively, we must be perceived as providing great value to these groups and individuals.  The principal job of the UI president is to help shape, define, and communicate the Iowa Value Proposition.

To help set the strategic agenda for the University, President Fethke is currently working to develop agendas for the following programs:

• The new Institute for Biomedical Diversity;
• The Institute for Regenerative Medicine;
• The Iowa Writers’ Workshop;
• A master plan for Athletics;
• The University Hygienic Laboratory;
• The UI health benefits systems, insurance programs, and relations with our plan providers.

The president has to have an appreciation of the contributors to revenues and the contributors to costs, and he/she needs to have more than a casual degree of knowledge about a whole range of activities, processes, and programs.

The UI is a $2.4 billion annual enterprise, with 22,000 full- and part-time employees.  (The number of tenured and tenure-track faculty is about 1,600.)  Of that amount, we receive about $500 million from the state, about 20% of our total expenditures.  The single largest contributor to revenue is patient fees and services at UIHC, which exceed $700 million.  The fast growing source of revenue is student tuition and fees, particularly nonresident tuition.

To define a value proposition, one has to understand the sources of revenue and the profiles of costs.  Resources need to be directed toward activities that support the value proposition of the institution and away from activities that, although desirable in some ways, do not contribute to the creation of value as it is defined at Iowa.  It is not enough to cite a three-pronged mission of teaching, research, and service.  We need to know what to do in each of these activities and, equally importantly, what not to do.  Leading by consensus and polling the constituency will not work, yet the president must listen, collaborate, learn, and then decide.

The UI president presents the most visible public image of the University of Iowa, so that person must be able to articulate what the UI provides that distinguishes it from its competitors.  He/She must:

• Work with the press and news outlets to reinforce the defined value image.
• Develop a principles-based approach to governing, managing, and leading (ethical behavior, respect and reward for excellence, compensation based on merit, stewardship rather than entitlement, recognizing what a privilege it is to work at the UI, etc.).  These principles must be communicated and the leader must follow them.
• As hard as it might be, the president must work to develop a proactive model of leadership, rather than a reactive model, and this is very difficult in our current environment, where events can overwhelm the desired message.
• Make the tough decisions that must be made to have an effective administrative team.  Reward competence over longevity and be willing to make personnel changes when necessary.  Respect tradition but continue to innovate.  In short, a president needs to challenge, prod, ask questions, demand excellence, and be prepared to make decisions, even in those cases where all the information is not quite in.

We have a great university that is strongly supported on all fronts, both in terms of people and resources.  The University of Iowa is in its strongest fiscal position in many years.  We are facing governance challenges, which are distracting to some and frightening to others.  The University needs a leader with experience, character, the ability to learn, and the courage to make tough and informed decisions.  That president also needs to be enthusiastic, positive, and willing and able to put in 17-hour days for weeks on end, because sometimes that kind of dedication and stamina is necessary to do the job that is required.

Following President Fethke’s remarks, Dean Johnsen introduced Marcella David and Jennifer Modestou from the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity.  In a presentation enhanced by Powerpoint slides, David and Modestou reviewed the Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action laws, regulations, and policies that the Committee needs to follow.  They also pointed out the benefits of a diverse workforce and encouraged the Committee to read several helpful and relevant articles and documents, including the UI Strategic Plan, The Iowa Promise; an article by Steve O. Michael entitled, “The Attributes of a Diversity President”; and a handout detailing “Legal and Illegal Interview Inquiries.”  Direct, behavior-based questions to candidates about their commitment to and experience with diversity were encouraged.

In her comments, Susan Shullaw suggested that the Committee to continue to build the search website, perhaps by adding such sections as “Guiding Principles” and “Frequently Asked Questions” components.  She encouraged the Committee to keep information flowing to a variety of audiences including colleagues on the UI campus, friends and associates located beyond the campus, and current and potential candidates.

In a closing discussion about message points about the University of Iowa that should be communicated to candidates, Lee Anna Clark agreed to circulate to the Committee some of unique and positive characteristics and programs at the University of Iowa. 

The meeting adjourned at 2:15 p.m.  The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, February 16, at noon in the Deans Conference Room (N304) in the College of Dentistry.