IOWA CITY, Iowa — A retired professor has filed a lawsuit arguing that the University of Iowa presidential search committee repeatedly violated the open meetings law and that its actions should be voided.
The petition filed by Harrold Hammond, an emeritus professor in the College of Dentistry, adds another layer of controversy to the search, which ended earlier this month with the selection of former IBM executive Bruce Harreld. It asks a judge to void actions taken by the 21-member committee, which vetted dozens of candidates before recommending four finalists to the Board of Regents.
Faculty, staff, students and alumni have expressed outrage over the board’s decision to select Harreld despite his lack of experience in higher education administration. He was picked over the president of Oberlin College and the provosts at Tulane and Ohio State. Regents have touted Harreld’s experience helping lead major corporations such as IBM, Boston Market and Kraft Foods.
Hammond’s petition alleges the search committee held meetings that were improperly closed and in locations that were inaccessible to the public. Among others, the lawsuit challenges two days of closed interviews the committee conducted with nine finalists last month at a hotel near a Chicago airport.
“Meetings are supposed to be in an accessible location even if closed. Having a 7 a.m. meeting in the Chicago airport isn’t very accessible,” said Hammond’s lawyer, Greg Geerdes, who filed requests last week asking committee members to turn over a trove of documents related to the search.
A state lawyer denied Hammond’s allegations in a court filing this month, saying committee members “substantially complied with the provisions” of the law. University spokeswoman Jeneane Beck echoed that argument Wednesday, saying lawyers gave training to the committee before the search and provided guidance throughout on compliance. She noted that all meetings except for the airport interviews were in Iowa City.
“From the outset, the committee strived to provide as much transparency as possible while protecting the confidentiality of the candidates who did not become finalists,” she said.
