Sources tell Radio Iowa the next president of the University of Northern Iowa is coming from Iowa State University. Sources say Ben Allen, I-S-U’s vice president for academic affairs, will be introduced as U-N-I’s next president on Tuesday afternoon.
The Board of Regents — the group that governs the three, state-supported universities — will meet Friday and is expected to ratify the decision. Gary Steinke, the board’s executive secretary, doesn’t confirm or deny the selection of Allen.
Steinke says he’s seen and heard news reports indicating Allen’s the choice. “It’s all pure speculation, until the regents actually select a new president,” Steinke says. Steinke says the regents have not acted or selected or voted on who the UNI president will be and they won’t until tomorrow afternoon at three o’clock.
Allen was among three finalists to replace Robert Koob who announced his retirement after 11 years as president of U-N-I. Allen, who is 59, has been at Iowa State since 1979. As the university’s provost and v-p for academic affairs, Allen was in charge of all academic programs and he was the immediate boss to all the college deans. He earned a degree in business economics from Indiana then his masters and doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois. His academic specialty, before he entered administration, was transportation logistics.