Board of Regents president, Craig Lang, confirms the board has not renewed the contract for University of Iowa President Sally Mason. “That’s correct. Her contract –five-year contract –was up in August, and what we did, we did not renew a new contract with President Mason. She is employed at will,” Lang says.
Lang says there are a number of things the board really wants to work with Mason on to improve. Lang says, “We want to see improvement in outreach across the state, we wanted to see improvement in relationship building with the Iowa Legislature, we also want President Mason to show us her goals that she felt could be accomplished as it relates to the University of Iowa. And so during that process and period, we didn’t feel it was appropriate to give her any length of contract.”
Lang says the board is looking for improvements that aren’t easily spelled out in a contract. “We’d like to see the University of Iowa be well known for the things it brings to the state.The dentists, the nurses, the lawyers, the communication that the University is doing really great things and we think all of that kind of communication starts at the top,” according to Lang.
The University has come under fire recently after sexual harassment charges were made against a former academic advisor. The university investigation found former associate director of athletic student services, Peter Gray, engaged in inappropriate behavior with students that ranged from making sexual comments to trading athletic event tickets for sexual favors.
Lang was critical of the university during this week’s Board of Regents meeting, saying the incident suggests the university is not doing a good job in the area of sexual harassment. The sexual harassment policies at all three state-supported schools were overhauled after a sexual assault at the U-I in 2008.