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Regents to set committee's duties

Presenting president finalists top responsibility

Brian Morelli

Iowa City Press-Citizen

February 2, 2007

[Note: This material is copyright by the Press-Citizen, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of the Iowa City Press-Citizen.]



Presenting at least four unranked finalists to the Iowa state Board of Regents will be the University of Iowa presidential search committees' ultimate duty if approved by the board at its meeting next week in Ames.

"The recommendations shall include a detailed explanation of the rationale for the recommendations and supporting information," a statement said.

It is one of six listed responsibilities proposed for the recently formed 13-person committee. Approval of the charges and an update by search committee chairman and College of Dentistry Dean David Johnsen are among agenda items for the regent board meeting Tuesday.

Other duties include assisting regents in the selection of a UI president, recommending criteria for the post, working with the executive search firm Atlanta-based Heidrick and Struggles, conducting a broad advertising campaign and evaluating the nominations and applications.

Johnsen's committee, which was finalized Jan. 11 and has had two meetings, is the second attempt at finding a replacement for David Skorton, who announced more than a year ago that he would become president of Cornell University.

The initial seven-month, $216,000 search stalled after six regents voted down four finalists and disbanded the 19-member search committee that recommended them. While that search was mired in secrecy and charges of regent micromanagement, the second committee has no regents and has vowed open meetings.

In other regent business next week:

• The percentage of graduating University of Iowa female students is dropping, but women still are ahead of male UI students for six-year graduation rates, according to a retention and graduation report.

That report will be presented to regents Tuesday.

Women that entered UI in 2000 have graduated at a rate of 67 percent. During the same period, 64 percent of males graduated. While female six-year rates fell in the new study, male graduation rates increased by 2 percentage points.

UI's overall six-year graduation rate dropped slightly from 2006 numbers, when 66.2 percent of students graduated.

This year's 65.5 percent mark ranks behind 65.8 percent at Iowa State University and 67.1 percent at the University of Northern Iowa.

ISU's overall six-year graduation rates also fell, while UNI improved from last year.

UI also lags in its peer group. UI is No. 9 out of its 11-member university group. University of California-Los Angeles had the highest rate at 87 percent, while the University of Arizona was the lowest at 59 percent.