University of Iowa President Announces Early Retirement

Bruce Harreld became the University of Iowa President in November 2015. Now, saying "once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye", Harreld announces he will retire. According to Iowa's News Now, he will stay on until the Board of Regents has found his successor, a process that is expected to start via a Zoom meeting among the board on October 5 at 1 p.m.

For their part, the board has lauded Harreld and his tenure at Iowa, citing accomplishments such as significant increases in research grants, increasing graduation rates, and "an open and transparent budgeting process, and added new health care and academic facilities". Also, the University of Iowa ranked 34th in the most recent college rankings by U.S. News and World Report.

The University has seen its share of controversy during his tenure as well, notably in the athletics department, with the dismissal of former football strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle after reports from players about racially unequal treatment, and the permanent cancelations of four sports programs due to COVID. The most recent months of his tenure were spent, like his counterparts, navigating the safety of his campus and institution in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Iowa City Press-Citizen notes that as of this writing, over 2,000 cases among UI students and employees.

It's certainly been a busy 5 years for Bruce Harreld, and the beginning of the process of selecting his successor can be live-streamed on October 5 here.