University of Iowa president to retire after intense 8 years

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - University of Iowa President Sally Mason announced plans Thursday to retire, after an eight-year tenure in which she led the school through a devastating flood, budget challenges and several controversies.

Mason, 64, said she would step down Aug. 1, concluding a term in which she was often praised for handling adversity and criticized for public relations missteps. She said she decided she was ready to leave for personal and professional reasons after reflecting with her husband during the holidays.

"The last eight years have been pretty intense," she said. "To have my life back and be able to do things on a different timetable with my husband and travel and see things. ... I'm ready."

She once anticipated staying through 2016, after the school reopens several major buildings destroyed by the flooding and completes a $1.7 billion fundraising campaign. But she said she now feels comfortable that those initiatives were on track.

Mason has also faced pressure from leaders of the Iowa Board of Regents, who have pushed for major changes to the school's funding and operations. Members scolded her last year for a clumsy remark about sexual assault and called for her to improve her communication with them.

"I think this is an ideal time for the board to be able to choose new leadership and support new leadership," Mason said. "I think potentially this could be quite good for the institution."

Board President Bruce Rastetter called Mason a "tremendous advocate for the university and a national leader" in higher education, saying she kept the school affordable. Mason worked with regents to freeze tuition rates for three straight years for resident undergraduate students for the first time ever.

The regents called a meeting for Tuesday to discuss the terms of Mason's retirement, which is expected to include an unspecified financial settlement. Mason is owed some deferred compensation and her contract allows her to return to the faculty at 60 percent of her salary - currently $526,000 - after a one-year paid sabbatical to reinvigorate her teaching and research.

"The board is really being very accommodating in terms of allowing me to exit in a way that I'd like to exit," she said.

Regents said they expected to launch a national search for her successor in coming weeks, at an important time for Iowa.

Lawmakers are considering whether to adopt a new funding model, backed by regents, which could cut Iowa's budget by millions by awarding money based on in-state enrollment. Many faculty leaders oppose the change. Regents are also working with consultants to make cost-saving changes to administrative and academic programs, which could lead to job cuts. And some fans want improvements in the Hawkeyes athletic department, which has seen mixed results under athletic director Gary Barta.

Mason arrived in 2007 from Purdue University, where she was provost. Almost immediately, the former biology professor faced one problem after another, many outside her control.

"She's been confronted with a whole host of issues that college presidents would like to avoid," said Regent Ruth Harkin, including the 2008 flood and a botched response to a student's sexual assault involving football players that led Mason to fire two administrators.

Mason said the biggest challenge was the flood, which damaged and destroyed numerous buildings. Mason worked to keep the university open and oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars of rebuilding, including many art and music programs. Those projects are part of an ongoing construction boom, which also includes a new children's hospital and the first new residence hall since 1968.

Mason recalled how the university faced deep budget cuts when the national recession hit months after the flood, derailing her plans to hire more faculty and expand enrollment.

"She led the university through some of the toughest times that it's dealt with, from natural disasters to fiscal issues. She kept the place afloat," said Mark Braun, her former top aide.

Mason's days appeared to be numbered in 2012, when regents declined to extend her contract and ordered her to spend time improving relationships with lawmakers. Gov. Terry Branstad criticized Mason for a lack of transparency. But student, faculty and staff leaders came to her defense.

Branstad said Thursday he appreciated her service.

"I think she did the best one can under the circumstances," he said.