University of Iowa President David Skorton this past week attended his first regents meeting since announcing he’s leaving to become the president of Cornell College in Ithaca, New York. In an interview with Radio Iowa, Skorton says he’ll stay in Iowa City through this semester and has a lot of work to complete.
Skorton says he “completely committed” to working as the president of Iowa and says they’re in the midst of the legislative session and there’s a lot at stake. He says there’s also the regent meetings and budget cycle to work through, and he says he wants to get done as much as he can by the end of the semester.
Skorton was asked to reflect on some of his accomplishments in three years as president. He says off the top of his head he’s happy about the work toward increasing diversity on campus, and the increased emphasis on public outreach. Skorton says while Iowa is know for it’s scientific research, he’s also happy that there’s been improvement in the arts and humanities during his tenure. Skorton says most importantly he’s tried to make the university more outward looking, to look out at the communities across the state of Iowa and be a better neighbor.
Skorton says historians and journalists will have to decide if he succeeded in turning the focus outward. Skorton, who is 56, had worked at the University of Iowa for 20 years before taking over the school’s top job.