IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Jean Robillard says he hopes his term as interim University of Iowa president will be short and free of controversy.
Robillard, the university’s vice president for medical affairs, takes over as the school’s temporary leader Saturday as President Sally Mason retires.
Robillard is leading a 21-member search committee that is helping find a slate of finalists to recommend to the Iowa Board of Regents. The committee is evaluating a pool of 44 candidates and will conduct closed-door interviews Aug. 11-12.
Robillard says he hopes the regents can pick the next president by early September, and that his replacement can be in place by the end of the calendar year.
He says he’s confident the search won’t get bogged down in political disputes like one that ended in failure in 2006.
