Date: December 5, 2006
Beginning in February 2006, members of the UI Staff Council began regularly attending the open meetings of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa. As the Board of Regents prepared to announce the search committee for the new UI President, Staff Council officers participated in organizing an open forum with the Regents at the IMU and expressed their concern that many constituencies on campus be represented on the UI Presidential Search committee.
The UI Presidential Search Committee was announced by the Board of Regents at its May 2006 meeting and UI Staff Council President Mary Greer was invited to be part of the committee as were staff members Lynda Greene, a member of SEIU, and Barb Cannon, a member of AFSCME. Other campus leaders were among the committee members, although noticeably absent was Sheldon Kurtz, UI Faculty Senate President. He was not invited to be a member of the UI Presidential Search Committee.
Four members of the Board of Regents were also on the committee – Amir Arbisser, Michael Gartner, Ruth Harkin and Teresa Wahlert, who was appointed chair of the committee by the Board of Regents. Regent Wahlert asked respected faculty members Francois Abboud and Katherine Tachau to be UI Presidential Search Committee Vice-Chairs. Abboud and Tachau also formed a UI Presidential Search Advisory Committee consisting of Kathy Klein, UI Staff Council Vice-President/President-Elect, Faculty Senate President Sheldon Kurtz, and other UI faculty, students, and staff members.
The UI Presidential Search committee worked to encourage top academic leaders to apply for the position of UI president. Throughout the fall they reviewed applications. The Advisory Committee reviewed the applications of the final candidates. Seven candidates were interviewed by members of the Board of Regents, UI Presidential Search Committee, and the Search Advisory Committee on November 10 and 11, 2006. The Search Committee met and forwarded the names of four candidates, unranked, to the Board of Regents for consideration on November 14th.
On Friday, November 17, the Board of Regents met first in closed session and then in a public session voted 6-2-1 in favor of rejecting the four candidates and disbanding the search committee. Regent Bob Downer and Regent Rose Vasquez voted again the motion and student Regent Jenny Rokes abstained.
This decision by the Board prompted votes of “no confidence” against the leadership of the Board of Regents to be scheduled by Staff Council, Faculty Senate and UI Student Government the week of November 27, 2006.
Outgoing Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack invited the following people to a closed meeting on Monday, November 27, to discuss ways of moving forward in the search for a UI President: Michael Gartner, Gary Steinke, Mary Greer, Robert Dvorsky, Robert Downer, Gary Seamens, Sheldon Kurtz, Gary Fethke and Peter McElligott. (See email from Greer, November 25)
Following the meeting, campus leadership decided to postpone their votes of no confidence until a later time, perhaps as late as January 2007, to give Governor Tom Vilsack time to work on some of the issues discussed at the closed meeting. (See email from Greer, November 27 and November 28). There was the clear understanding from those who attended the meeting that there would be significant movement on the selection of a UI President from the four finalists.
On Friday, December 1, Regents Arbisser, Downer, Gartner, Harkin met with some UI vice presidents and UI college deans at the invitation of UI Interim President Gary Fethke. This meeting was held at the UI President’s home, 102 Church Street, and was closed to the public and press.
On Monday, December 4, the Regents held a closed executive board discussion, despite Regent Downer’s request that it be a public meeting.
As of December 6, there has been no public assurance from the Board of Regents, that they plan to move forward in the naming of a UI President. Because of this, campus leadership is now considering scheduling votes of no confidence in the leadership of the Board again.
Faculty Senate has held Tuesday, December 12 open for the possibility of this vote and the regularly scheduled Staff Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 13, in S401 PBB, from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Staff Council is always interested in hearing from members of the UI community. You can reach us by using our Comments web form, or email our Staff Council office, call our office at 319/335-3600 or any of our elected Staff Council representatives directly via email or phone.