Jeff Charis-Carlson

jcharisc@press-citizen.com



CEDAR FALLS, Ia. — Maybe the University of Northern Iowa has done too good of a job over the past three years.

That was the general tone and consensus offered during a faculty reception Monday to say goodbye to William Ruud, whose last day as UNI president is July 2.

“I’ve always said, ‘You set the mark, and we’ll reach it,'” said Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Cedar Falls, who was one of about 250 faculty and community members at Monday’s event.

Ruud, 63, has not said why he decided to leave a 12,000-student public university to become president of a 1,200-student private college in Ohio, other than to say it presents a key opportunity at this point in his career.

Supporters point to the fact that the Iowa Board of Regents never renewed his three-year contract, which expired last month.

“We have a president whom all of us really believe in and honor and respect,” said Joe Gorton, a professor of criminology and president of United Faculty/AAUP. “But the regents haven’t done what is necessary to keep him here. And that’s a big disappointment.”

In his remarks Monday, Ruud said there were times when he was counseled — by members of the regents and other decision-makers — against advocating so passionately on UNI’s behalf. He specifically mentioned times in which he was asked to pull slides and other data from presentations that showed UNI in a more favorable light than the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.

"What is wrong with confidence and pride in achievement?" Danielson asked after Ruud's speech.

Ruud’s advice for the members of the UNI community was to keep working with the regents, lawmakers and the governor to increase Iowa’s investment in UNI.

“Don’t give up on moving this place forward,” Ruud said. “… Be persistent and patient, and be aggressive without being obnoxious.”

Ruud urged the faculty and other community members to continue offering “data-defined arguments” for why UNI is a good investment for the state.

“We can technologize this business all we want to, but the front end of the business and the back end of the business will continue to be labor-intensive,” Ruud said.

Ruud also stressed that Iowa's regents system needs to remain focused on student success.

“If the students don’t show up, we’re out of business, plain and simple,” Ruud said. “We can talk about the appropriation. We can talk about everything else. But if they don’t show up, we’re out of business.”

Several speakers commented on the challenging job Ruud faced when arriving on campus in 2013 — from declining enrollment to strained relations with faculty and staff.

In 2012, UNI voted “no confidence” against Ruud’s predecessor, Ben Allen. When Ruud arrived less than a year later, the university also was facing censure by the American Association of University Professors because of a series of planned layoffs and program cuts.

"We were wounded. ... Because of the work of Bill and Judy (Ruud), we’re healing,” Gorton said.

Provost Jim Wohlpart said that, when he was interviewing on campus last year, he had been impressed by — even slightly intimated by — Ruud’s passion and commitment.

“This president has more energy, more excitement and more enthusiasm than anyone I had ever met. I thought, ‘He really does believe that this is the University of Nothing Impossible,'" said Wohlpart.

Wolhpart is scheduled to serve as interim UNI president until the regents appoint a permanent successor for Ruud.

No regents attended Monday's event.

The board, which oversees Iowa's three public universities, is scheduled to approve Wohlpart as interim UNI president during its meeting Wednesday and Thursday in Ames.