IOWA CITY
Iowa
A member of the Iowa Board of Regents accused Des
Moines businessman Marvin Pomerantz of trying to bully
incoming University of Iowa
President Sally Mason.
Pomerantz, a former regent and a large donor to the University
of Iowa, called on Mason to fire
the dean of Iowa’s College
of Public Health after a naming
controversy with Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance company.
David Miles, the Regents President Pro Tempore, said Pomerantz
is out of line.
“I really think it is an improper attempt to dictate
internal personnel decisions at the regents institutions,” Miles said.
“He is attempting to bully our incoming president by threatening the loss
of significant financial support if his demands are not met quickly.”
Pomerantz called James Merchant, the dean of the College
of Public Health, an embarrassment
after the college’s faculty rejected a $15 million gift in return for naming
the school the Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield College of Public Health.
The faculty vote initially led Wellmark to withdraw the
offer, but gift discussions resumed this week.
