Hunter
04/23/21
The fourth finalist for University of Iowa president says he will be a large presence on campus, especially during times of crisis.
Dean of the UI’s College of Education, Daniel Clay, held an open forum event Thursday afternoon as part of his two day on campus visit with educators, administrators, students and community leaders. He’s the only internal candidate of the four vying to become the University’s 22nd President.
Clay said he has a head start compared to the other finalists, who will have a lot to learn about the culture and community. With his experience, the Daily Iowan reports Clay saying, “I know and trust and respect the people on our campus.” While admitting he too has a lot to learn, he said the learning curve “will be short.”
When Clay was asked what he would do that would be different than previous presidents, he criticized the lack of campus administration presence during last summer’s protests after the murder of George Floyd. He said they should have been more accessible to listen to students. He promised to be accessible to the campus community.
Current president Bruce Harreld was working remotely at the time due to the pandemic. He is currently on campus, but the Gazette reports that none of the candidates have met with him. His last day is May 16th.
The Daily Iowan reports that Clay is connected to two ongoing lawsuits involving the University of Missouri, his alma mater and most recent employer before he came to the University of Iowa. Clay founded the online learning school “Mizzou K-12 Online,” which is being sued by a Brazilian education firm for failing to work in good faith with them to help prep students for college in the United States. He’s also part of a gender, age and pay discrimination lawsuit. Clay is accused of giving a 63-year-old female administrator the choice of retiring or being fired. She was fired, and allegedly replaced by a man younger than her and given a higher salary.
Penn State College of Law Dean Hari Osofsky, University of Illinois System Executive Vice President Barbara Wilson and Georgia State Provost Wendy Hensel previously visited campus as part of their being considered for the presidency. Next week, all four finalists will meet with the Board Of Regents, and the new University of Iowa president will be announced on April 30th.