OSU Provost and Executive Vice President Joseph Steinmetz during an interview with The Lantern. Credit: Lantern File Photo
Ohio State Executive Vice President and Provost Joseph Steinmetz could soon be president of the University of Iowa. He was the third of four candidates to be announced.
Steinmetz visited the campus in Iowa City, Iowa, on Monday, and spent “a day with faculty, staff and students, describing (his) visions for the university and fielding questions at open town hall meetings,” according to the UI website. A video of the public meeting will be posted on UI’s website.
Steinmetz, who has a background in behavioral neuroscience, is known for unifying the former five colleges of arts and sciences into the large College of Arts and Sciences after coming to OSU in 2009. Before becoming the provost, he was the executive dean of the recently created college.
Earlier in March, he was named a candidate for president of University of Texas, but he withdrew his name from consideration because he said he was comfortable staying at OSU.
“I believe I am making a difference in what I do,” Steinmetz said at the time. “I don’t want to take any position anywhere unless I know I can make a difference in that particular position.”
The first two candidates, Ohio’s Oberlin College President Marvin Krislov and New Orleans’ Tulane University Provost Michael Bernstein, visited UI on Thursday and Friday respectively. The fourth candidate, Bruce Harreld, managing principal of Executing Strategy, LLC, will visit the campus on Tuesday.
The Iowa Board of Regents is expected to decide who will be the 21st UI president on Thursday after interviewing all four candidates in a closed session, board spokesman Josh Lehman said. The decision is expected to be made by the afternoon.
The previous president of UI, Sally Mason, served the university for eight years before retiring at the beginning of August, UI spokeswoman Jeneane Beck said. The UI Presidential Search and Screen Committee Chair Jean Robillard holds the interim president position until Thursday.
OSU media relations declined to comment on the matter.
