From the Iowa City Press-Citizen:
We were going to ask Chet Culver, when he becomes governor in January, to make some big changes in the membership of the Iowa state Board of Regents.
After yesterday's news about the UI president search, that plan is wrong. We need a Regents overhaul -- and we need it now!
Unsatisfied with its candidates, the board voted to start over with its search for a replacement to David Skorton, who left this summer to become president at Cornell University.
Regents president Michael Gartner said the final four candidates needed more experience leading "complex health-sciences operations as well as the myriad of other academic and non-academic operations of a large university."
The statement doesn't make sense. Either the comments are hot air or the Regents simply botched the search. We can't help but wonder: What were you searching for?
...The fact is, we really don't know what's going on because the Regents have treated the faculty, staff and students like unruly teens rather than partners in this process.
As president, Gartner's approach has been divisive and secretive. Gartner clearly likes a top-down business model and thinks the university system should operate more like a business.
But businesses are judged by performance and results. And here he and his key supporters on the board are on shaky ground. Consider a few items from his tenure:
• We lost our university president.
• We lost our athletic director.
• The staff and faculty have lost faith in the leadership.
• And now we have a failed presidential search.
A CEO with these results would be on the ropes, if not fired. Gov. Vilsack, it's time for a shakeup on the Board of Regents.
And Michael Gartner must go.
Michael Gartner's past history of fucking up NBC News should have been reason enough to not put that little bow-tied twit into power.
Update: I predict that Michael Gartner will be a huge problem for Tom Vilsack's presidential aspirations. This is from the press release in January 2005 when Vilsack appointed Gartner to be the Chairman of the Board of Regents:
“The combination of his intellect and passion for Iowa will allow Michael Gartner to serve with distinction on the Board of Regents,” Governor Vilsack stated in making the appointment. “Michael represents the best of our state—a determined sense of duty with a nationally renowned journalistic and business reputation. I am grateful for his work on the Vision Iowa board and look forward to what I am sure will be a lasting impact on higher learning.”
Meanwhile, over at the Des Moines Register:
The Iowa Board of Regents, which voted Friday to reject four finalists and disband the presidential search, met in closed session several times in the past week without announcing each meeting, a requirement of the Iowa Open Meetings Law. Regents said the meetings were separate sessions of a closed-session meeting that started Nov. 9. Regent Bob Downer said Saturday that the board's lawyer said that meant they did not have to announce the meetings.Whoops.
Notice how the entire Board of Regents are blamed. Nothing is specifically mentioned of Michael Gartner's involvement. He's only the Chairman.
The Register has also printed very little criticism of former Gannettoid Michael Gartner. I guess they have to keep protecting their own, just like how the Des Moines Register rarely ever prints anything critical or negative of the scam being conducted by con artist David Oman with that Earthpork Rainforest in Pella.
Here's as rough as it got for Gartner in the Register on Saturday. This section starts on the 28th paragraph of the article:
Regent Robert Downer of Iowa City took part in those interviews and was comfortable with the four finalists the screening committee selected.
Downer said he did not know what caused the abrupt about-face by other regents Friday. He was one of two regents to vote against discarding the candidates and starting over.
"This is particularly inexplicable in light of the fact that my principal responsibility on the board is as the chair of the hospital committee," Downer said.
He said he did not think Gartner's explanation of needing more health sciences experience was a justifiable reason for scrapping the search.
Yeah, I think it's safe to say that the Register is protecting Michael Gartner.
Once again, if you haven't read up on Michael Gartner's past history when he was the President of NBC News, you've got a lot to learn. This guy is scum.
Second update: Nicholas Johnson's FromDC2Iowa blog has a lot more on what kind of person should be hired. I think somebody who sticks around more than just a few years before moving along to head another school should be a factor. Actually, a non-compete clause would fix that sort of thing. Signing one is common place in the real world for all sorts of executive and non-executive jobs.
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