Jean Robillard

Jean Robillard

The 21-member committee charged with recommending finalists to become the new president at the University of Iowa conducted interviews with the nine remaining candidates over the last two days.

UI interim president Jean Robillard is chairman of the committee, which has presented a list of finalists to the Board of Regents. “I think we all feel extremely good and very positive about the recommendations we made to the Regents,” Robillard told reporters in a conference call late Wednesday afternoon. “Any of people we’ve recommended would make a great president, there’s no question about that.”

The interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday, held near O’Hare Airport in Chicago, were closed to the public. The names of the finalists submitted to the Regents are not being released and Robillard would not say how many names are on the list. “We still have to communicate and connect with these candidates and make sure they want to continue the process,” Robillard explained.

The names of the finalists will be released around 24 hours before they come to Iowa City for public visits scheduled for the week of August 31. “They will meet with the students, the faculty senate, the staff, and they will take part in a forum and give a presentation,” Robillard said.

The Iowa Board of Regents will then interview the finalists in closed session, tentatively scheduled for September 4, and select a president soon thereafter.

Former UI president Sally Mason retired on August 1. The 65-year-old Mason spent eight years at the University of Iowa.