Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, IA
03-29-06
UNI starts to size up 3 finalists for president's job
By EMILY CHRISTENSEN, Courier Staff Writer
CEDAR FALLS --- Each of three finalists in the running for the top spot at the
University of Northern Iowa would start the job with more than a little knowledge
of how things work in Iowa.
Benjamin Allen, 59, vice president for academic affairs and provost at Iowa
State University, has an extensive background in both classroom and
administrative work. Much of his research and teachings have been in the areas
of economics and transportation and logistics.
John Folkins, 58, vice president for academic affairs and provost at Bowling
Green State University, worked at the University of Iowa for numerous years,
working his way up from an assistant professor of speech pathology and
audiology to associate provost.
Stephen Lehmkuhle, 54, is the senior vice president for academic affairs for the
University of Missouri System. His ties to Iowa aren't quite as clear as the other
candidates, but they are there --- his daughter lives in Des Moines. Lehmkuhle
did graduate and postdoctoral work in the area of visual neuroscience and taught
both undergraduate and graduate courses in physiological psychology,
perception and neuroscience. He was also named interim chancellor at the
University of Missouri-Kansas City in May 2005.
"One of the main things they bring is a lot of experience with different approaches
to issues in higher education," said Ira Simet, a UNI associate professor of
chemistry and member of both search committees.
Simet added the candidates all have experience with capital fundraising,
community involvement and a proven track record of working with faculty, staff,
students and the community.
Current president Robert Koob is stepping down at the end of the school year.
Steve Dust, executive director of Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and the
community representative on the presidential search committee, said each of the
candidates appeared to recognize the "interdependency of the campus and the
community."
"This isn't like an Iowa City or Champaign (Ill.), where the university is dominant.
Here we are very dependent on each other," Dust said. "There had to be
characteristics there and practices they have used that could sustain what Bob
(Koob) has done."
Each candidate documented extensive community involvement in their
curriculum vitae and on their university Web pages, including involvement in
economic development organizations.
But, fundraising and budgets aren't everything, said Tony McAdams, a professor
and interim head of the Management Department. This self-proclaimed oldfashioned educator hopes the new president, whoever it may be, will focus on
reviving the intellectual strength of the university.
"There is sort of an intellectual climate associated with the university and ours
has not been as vivid and vigorous in recent years as it could have been,"
McAdams said. "This is an impressive list of people and they all appear to have
the formal credentials to become president. ... All three are accomplished
scholars and have supervisory roles for scholarly activity. They are all directly
focused on academic achievement."
He also hopes that their previous knowledge of the state will help them better
understand UNI's mission and how the university fits into the educational
landscape of the state and the Midwest.
Students, who are represented on the search committee by NISG president Joe
Murphy, are more interested in whether the new president will continue with
Koob's open door policy, Murphy said. He added during Koob's tenure students
were also accommodated when they sought a meeting with the president, and
according to the answers each finalist gave during the interview process, that
tradition would continue into the future.
"They all said they are willing to put the Students First motto ahead of
everything," Murphy said.
But, in order for their opinions to be heard, Murphy said students need to
participate in the two-day interview process.
"Unlike any other person at the university, the president has oversight over the
entire campus. The students need to show the new president what the current
issues are for them and show them that our student body is active and will let him
know what is going on," Murphy said. "That is the only way we can help direct the
policies."
Regent Teresa Wahlert, who headed the Presidential Search and Screen
Committee, hopes the university constituents and community representatives will
use the time allotted during each candidate's visit to "form their own judgments"
about the finalists.
"They each brought new ideas and perspectives and a philosophy about the field
of education and the business of education," Wahlert said. "We have three
equally talented candidates in different ways, of course. I don't think a mistake
could be made with any of these selections."
In addition to fundraising and community endeavors, each candidate also has
hands-on experience in several other issues currently facing the university and
the state of education in Iowa, including developing K-16 endeavors, developing
new programs for technology transfer and working to diversify their campus.
Simet said he hopes students, staff and faculty members take advantage of
every opportunity they have to meet with the candidates so they too can get feel
for their personalities and interests.
"I hope everyone can sense that the actual people are very much what their
paper profiles suggested," Simet said. "People can write up I did this, I did this,
but when you talk with them you can sense what their commitment and passion
is."
The campus and community aren't the only ones to benefit from a good turnout,
Wahlert added.
"These kind of venues are for them to meet and greet the community and
campus culture. You can only learn so much from a Web page and research,"
she said. "The actual experience is so different."
Contact Emily Christensen at (319) 291-1520 or
emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.