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President Sally Mason
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Regents Name Purdue Provost Sally Mason UI's 20th President
The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, today named Sally Mason, 57, of Purdue University the University of Iowa's 20th president. The appointment is effective Aug. 1. Currently provost and professor of biology at Purdue University, Mason succeeds David Skorton, who left the UI in June 2006 to become president of Cornell University in New York. (more)
Excerpts From President Mason's Remarks (June 21, 2007)
“It is difficult for me to describe my excitement, my enthusiasm for the University of Iowa and for all of you. But I think I can perhaps sum up all my deepest feelings in two heartfelt words I intend to shout loud and often in the years ahead: -- GO HAWKS!!!”
“The University of Iowa’s own space pioneer James Van Allen said, ‘. . . One of the most enthralling things about human life is the recognition that we live in . . . a universe without bounds.’ The possibilities for our university are also without bounds. We can take our university as far as our passion, our energy, our imagination and our determination allow. The only limitations we face are those we place on ourselves.”
“I have heard it said that the next president of the University of Iowa will be on a steep learning curve. I agree. But I am not afraid of heights. And having spent my entire career in higher education, I know how to learn.”
“I will meet with students, faculty, staff and administrators. And in fact, I have already begun. I will meet with alumni, friends of this university, state and community leaders. I will travel throughout our state to learn what the University of Iowa can do for our rural towns and major cities. It will be an exciting time for me to hear your ideas and your dreams, to learn your vision for this university and its place in our state and in the world. It will be a time for me to share my passion for the job that is ahead.”
“My understanding of the power of education is very personal. My father was an immigrant from Czechoslovakia who came to this nation as a child and never had the opportunity even to finish grade school. My mother barely finished high school. I am the first person in my family to receive a university degree. And now I am the president of one of the world’s great universities. Standing here before you today, I can’t help but wonder what my parents would think if they could see me now. I think they would be very proud. Very amazed. But also very proud.”
Quotes From the Campus, the State, and Beyond
"We congratulate President Sally Mason on being selected by the Board of Regents to become the 20th President of The University of Iowa. We are honored to have had the opportunity to participate in this process. We encourage the entire University community to rally around our new president."
—The Presidential Search Committee
“I am very excited to join my peers on campus and the many alumni and friends of our institution worldwide in welcoming Sally Mason to the University of Iowa family. I had an opportunity to visit briefly with Sally during the on-campus portion of the interview process last week and was impressed with her knowledge of and appreciation for our institution, our state, and our intercollegiate athletics program. Sally clearly expressed a commitment to our student-athletes and our staff. She also made it clear that it was her expectation that we continue our tradition of 'doing intercollegiate athletics the right way' with integrity and with the best interests of the student-athlete as a guiding principle. I also want to take this opportunity to publicly thank Gary Fethke for the outstanding leadership he has provided the University as our interim president. I appreciate greatly the opportunity he has afforded me personally and his desire to be an active, engaged leader during the transition.”
—Gary Barta, Director of Athletics, The University of Iowa
“Sally Mason is among the top people in higher education today. As provost, her impact on Purdue University has been profound in many ways, including increasing diversity, recruiting top faculty, doubling the research program, advancing engagement and improving the learning environment for our students. She is a major force behind our Discovery Learning Center in Discovery Park. Sally and her husband, Ken, are major donors to the Learning Center. Her work at Purdue has helped to transform this university, so it comes as no surprise that she is being selected for this wonderful leadership opportunity at the University of Iowa. I believe her impact on the state of Iowa will be every bit as great as it has been on our state of Indiana.”
—Purdue President Martin C. Jischke
“This is a big day for the university and, probably more importantly, for the state of Iowa. Dr. Mason is a distinguished scholar who has a long career in higher education leadership, and I, for one, am excited to see what she'll do to make this fine insitution even better.”
—Jack Evans, Board of Regents, State of Iowa
“I'm very impressed with President Mason. She hit all the high notes in terms of Iowa as a university of hope. I think she's an excellent choice, and I'm looking forward to returning Iowa to being one of the nation's top 10 public research universities.”
—Iowa Sen. Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville
“I'm looking forward to meeting her, and I hope to set up regular meetings with her. In the past, it's been a good way to touch base on where the city and the university interface and talk about how we can work together.”
—Iowa City Mayor Ross Wilburn
"I think Dr. Mason will be a wonderful UI president because she cares about everybody from the undergraduate student to the tenured professor."
—Mark Salisbury, UI doctoral student in the student affairs administration and research program
"I think it's very exciting. I had a chance to meet with her, and I was very impressed. She is very engaging, and you feel like she really is taking a genuine interest in you when she is talking to you. I was especially impressed to learn about what she's done with the Mosaic (diversity) Program at Purdue. I was also very happy to see that her definition of diversity inclues those with disabilities, and so I really believe that she will be able to reach out, interact and connect with people across the entire state."
—David Fitzgerald, director, Washington Center, Internship Advising and Government Programs,
University of Iowa Pomerantz Career Center
"I was very happy to learn of this news because the university has been looking for a new president for a long time. She has a great background and experience working as a Provost at Purdue, and it seems that she has a very good record of working with students....She will give some new hope for everyone at the university."
—Gang Wang, graduate student,
UI Department of Management and Organization,
Tippie College of Business
"I'm delighted, and I think she'll be exceptional. We all look forward to working with her, getting behind her and achieving progress together."
—UI College of Public Health Dean James Merchant
"I'm thrilled, and I'm especially pleased with her commitment to diversity. As a past member of the UI Council on the Status on Women, we've spent the last year looking at other Big 10 Institutions, and we've been especially impressed with Purdue's work with faculty recruitment and retention."
—Liz Newbury,
UI alumna, long-time UI staff member and soon-to-be graduate student in the
UI Anthropology Department
