The process for selecting a new University of Iowa strategic-communication head is inching closer to completion.
The second of the three finalists for the position of vice president for Strategic Communication will visit the UI today. The first candidate visited the UI July 11.
Joseph Brennan, the associate vice president for university communications at the State University of New York-Buffalo, will speak at a public forum from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. today in 2520D University Capitol Center.
Since accepting the position in 2008, Brennan has overseen the management of 32 employees under a communications network of more than 150 staff members across campus, with a $2.5 million annual budget.
From 2006 until 2008, he served as the executive director of communications and marketing at Ohio State University; from 2003 to 2006, he was the executive director of marketing and university relations for the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif.
He was appointed as the University of Toledo’s executive director of public relations and marketing from in 2000 and served in that role until 2003.
His academic degrees include a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York-Buffalo, a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology from Wayne State University, and a Master of Business Administration in marketing from the University of the Pacific.
In his July 11 visit, Jeff Iseminger, the interim vice president for university advancement and marketing at Minnesota State University-Mankato, stressed the importance of the UI’s self-branding efforts, noting that the institution could learn from Apple’s mentality.
A third and final candidate is set to visit campus Wednesday; he or she will be named on Tuesday.
Although the salary of the new vice president remains unknown, UI spokesman Tom Moore told the DI in a June 12 interview that it will be used in determining factors such as experience, salary history, and the prevailing market for similar positions.
The vice president reports directly to UI President Sally Mason and serves as the “chief communication officer responsible for conveying, internally and externally, the university’s mission, vision, and values,” according to the job description.
Additionally, the position has oversight for university-related communication and marketing, Hancher Auditorium, and the UI Alumni Association. Tysen Kendig left the UI post in December after accepting a similar role at the University of Connecticut.
He started his position at the UI in February 2010 and oversaw the Office of University Relations, the Center for Media Production, UI Television, the UI Alumni Association, and Hancher.
According to state Board of Regents’ records, Kendig earned an annual salary of $200,000. Moore said Mark Braun, Mason’s chief of staff, is serving as the vice president on an interim basis; he will return to his original role when a new vice president is chosen.