Loh to focus on UI's strategic plan
By the time outgoing University of Iowa Provost Wallace Loh departs — likely sometime in early to mid-October — he hopes to gain approval for and begin implementing a new, overarching strategic plan.
Officials will name an interim provost sometime next week, and they'll recommend members for a provost search committee by this Friday, past Faculty Senate President David Drake said at a meeting Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Loh was on his way to Baltimore for his third of five trips to the University of Maryland before he takes over as the school's president on Nov. 1. He couldn't say the reason for his trip but said the time off is included in his UI vacation time. Maryland pays for Loh's flights and accommodations.
"What I'll be doing for the next month, month-and-a-half, is the same, regardless of if I'm leaving," he said.
Loh said the UI is preparing to present its long-term strategic plan to the state Board of Regents for approval at its next meeting, on Sept. 16. It will be available for viewing by the public when the regents' agenda is released late next week.
Parts of the plan, titled "Great Opportunities, Bold Expectations," have been implemented, and it will serve as a "compass" for the next five years, Loh said.
The plan will include such recommendations as increasing the number of living-learning communities, constructing a new dorm, and closing some graduate programs, he said. Many of the initiatives are based on findings from six task forces that presented their reports last spring.
If the plan is approved, Loh will continue to implement parts of it while he's still at the UI. More immediately, this will involve announcements regarding the university's retention numbers and cluster hiring.
Loh said officials will announce which colleges and departments will be awarded the two newest clusters, Aging in the Heartland and Public Humanities, in the coming weeks.
John Keller, the dean of the Graduate College and an ex-officio member of the Task Force for Graduate Education: Selective Excellence, said officials want to be sure Loh's departure won't interrupt any implementation.
"We're hopeful that it won't," Keller said. "The last thing we want to do is lose the momentum we have."
Tuesday was also the last day for University of Maryland President C.D. (Dan) Mote. Maryland's provost, Nariman Farvardin, will be the school's interim president.
"It's always a perfect time for a transition," said Donald Kettl, the chairman of Maryland's Presidential Search and Screen Committee and dean of the School of Public Policy. "Dr. Loh has had many visits to the University of Maryland, and he's off to a strong running start."
DI reporter Alison Sullivan contributed to this report.
comments powered by Disqus
