FALL 1998
Volume 42, Number
1
IN THIS ISSUE
Exploring
Careers Beyond Medicine
Geology
in
Puerto Rico
Human
Rights
A
Conversation with the President
New
Honors Director
A
Time for Questions
On
the Iowa Web
Major
Topics...
Parent
Times Briefs
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Editor's Note: It's been an eventful quarter for President
Mary Sue Coleman. Durng June, for example, the campus was marred
by a straight-line wind storm that damaged buildings and felled
several historic trees on the Pentarest, Parent Times
interviewed the president in late summer.
Q. You've said before that people don't think of you
as the CEO of a $1.5 billion operation-though they should. We
thought of that as you dealt with some really thorny events recently,
including the damage to the campus from a major windstorm in
June and the coming change in basketball coaches. How do you
manage this large and unwieldy enterprise?
A. We are a very complex organization, so the comparison
with a $1.5 billion corporation is good. It surprises people
in Iowa to realize that we are the largest enterprise in the
state! They don't know that because we are funded from so many
sources.
When a "mini-disaster" such as the storm occurs, we
realize how fortunate we are to have people within the organization
who try to anticipate the unexpected. As a result, we have very
good insurance coverage. We will not have to ask the state for
very much help in order to recover from the damage the storm
caused.
You can replace trees, but not the kinds of trees we lost. That
is an aesthetic challenge. But it's a matter of genetics-the
weaker ones don't survive. I would not have wanted to have this
storm to happen, but some of these trees were not in good shape.
We have very good people working to restore the Pentacrest and
the rest of the campus.
We haven't changed major sports coaches, with the exception of
women's basketball, in some time. I'm afraid the people of Iowa
are in for sticker shock. Salaries have gone up, and we will
have some interesting conversations. But we have a good reputation
for good programs, and we support them well.
These are the exciting parts of my job-you never know what will
happen. What you have to do is keep up with preventive maintenance
and plan for the future.
Q. This is the first full school year in which the office
of the Vice President for Student Services has been in place.
Can you evaluate what Phil Jones has done in the past year and
tell parents why it is important for them and their students?
A. As vice president for student services, Phil Jones
is doing the same good job he's always done. The difference is
that in meetings when vice presidents discuss the totality of
the student experience at Iowa, including their time outside
the classroom, he's a vital part of the discussion. Students
are in a phase of development in which they're becoming adults.
I want parents to know he is a great advocate for them, academically
and socially. He works well with directors of student organizations.
We've seen major changes in the way the organizations are run.
They're now evaluating what they're doing and spending their
money in effective ways.
Q. Many lectures, music and theatre events, and other
observances are planned for the Human Rights '98 celebration.
Among other things, two Nobel Laureates will be coming to campus
in one year. That's quite a lineup.
A. It's always a surprise to me how much is happening
on any day on campus. Students have a choice of multitudes of
things to do every single day. They can go to the art museum,
the theater, and so many events are free. You can really learn
and be entertained at the same time. And the Human Rights events
are added on top of the student lecture series that brought Lech
Walesa here last year. This year, we'll have Elie Wiesel and
Rigoberto Menchú Tum. One of our own graduates, Marjorie
Mowlam, secretary of state of Northern Ireland, will speak on
"The Struggle for Human Rights in Northern Ireland,"
October 22. She has had an extraordinary impact in Ireland.
Events like these give students an unprecedented chance to meet
people who are having a profound impact on the world stage. They
may never have this chance again. Smaller colleges have excellent
speakers occasionally, but to have this many in this short period
of time is remarkable.
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University of
Iowa President
Mary Sue Coleman
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