Thursday, June 21, 2007
Governor Culver Statement On New University Of Iowa President Dr. Sally Mason
(Iowa City) Governor Chet Culver was on hand at the University of Iowa to welcome new University President Dr. Sally Mason. Below is a statement from Governor Culver on the announcement:
STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR CHET CULVER:
“On behalf of the people of Iowa, I’d like to congratulate Dr. Sally Mason on being named the 20th President of the University of Iowa. Welcome to Iowa City! Today, I am proud to have such an outstanding person and proven leader join them in taking the helm here at the University of Iowa.
“On a personal note, I am pleased to have someone lead this university who shares many of my values, goals, beliefs, and concerns regarding education. As a former high school teacher, I obviously appreciate the critical importance of higher education. We have made real progress in restoring educational excellence. However, challenges remain. For example, many of our students too often lack access to needs based assistance and graduate with some of the high debt loads in the country. So we must do more to ensure that every Iowa student has the financial assistance they need to reach their God-given potential and achieve their goals – all at a reasonable cost. I know that together with our new president, the board of regents and the legislature, we will be able to address these challenges.
“In addition, I was especially pleased that during her interview, Dr. Mason addressed an issue that is of real importance to our state’s success in the future - diversity. She is to be commended for her distinguished record recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty and student body at Purdue.
“Again, I want to congratulate Dr. Mason on being selected as the 20th president at the University of Iowa. And as the Governor of this state, I am honored to be here today to welcome you.”