Hunter
03/26/21
University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld says he will leave the school on May 16th after a new president is appointed by the Board of Regents. At the same time, the Regents announced that they’ve asked Graduate College Dean John Keller to be interim president for the period between Harreld’s retirement and when the new president begins his or her tenure.
Harreld announced his retirement on October 1st, and said he would stay on as long as it took for the search committee to find a new president. The search phase for candidates has ended, and the committee on Thursday was scheduled to go through the applicants and select semifinalists. The tentative plan is to conduct virtual semifinalist interviews starting next Thursday. If the search committee can identify four finalists, they will be invited to Iowa City to safely meet with individuals and participate in online town halls starting on April 12th.
In a letter to campus, Harreld said that the Regents are planning to select the next University of Iowa president on April 30th, and Board President Michael Richards requested that he remain president through Sunday May 16th. A Regents spokesperson told the Daily Iowan that Harreld won’t continue to be employed on campus or continue to be paid after that date, forgoing millions of dollars in salary and deferred compensation.
Dean Keller, the head of the presidential search committee, had previously announced that he would transition from his role at the Graduate College to a position in the Provost’s Office as a special assistant and professor in the College of Dentistry. He told the DI that he had no inkling that he would be asked to become interim president, and said he was grateful for the opportunity.
It’s anticipated that the new President would begin their tenure in the late summer or early fall.