UI presidential candidate Marvin Krislov tours campus, outlines vision, and takes questions.

By Austin Petroski
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As Marvin Krislov took the podium, he waved to the audience — made up mostly of faculty — that filled the IMU Second-Floor Ballroom on Thursday evening.

Krislov, one of the four University of Iowa presidential finalists and current president of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, spent the day touring campus and meeting people from different academic programs.

“I’ve been struck by the passion of every single person I’ve met,” Krislov said. He also noted the impressiveness of the new Hancher under construction.

Krislov started off his speech by detailing his plan to advance the university if he is chosen as president.

First, he said, he believes in the need to keep education affordable. Second, to compete for research dollars.

“We need to look for sources on the federal level,” he said.

Finally, he believes student success is vital to his plans for the university.

“I think the graduation rate can, and should, be raised,” Krislov said.

He also proposed to expand the university’s reach in the state.

“I propose to go into every corner of the state,” Krislov said. “This is your university. Send your children and grandchildren here.”

He finished off his speech saying, “great people make a great university.”

Krislov then took questions from the audience. One of the first questions concerned the low numbers of African American and Latino students on campus.

“It is a high priority to have an excellent campus with diversity,” he said. “We need to target high schools that are likely to produce candidates who are African American and Latino.”

When asked about tenure track and adjunct faculty, Krislov responded by saying that good salaries for faculty are critical to a university and that he favors having tenured faculty make up the majority of staff.

One issue many were waiting to hear about is how Krislov will combat what they see as a rape culture seen on campuses nationwide.

“It is worth time, money, and engagement of everybody [to stop rape culture],” he said.

Responses to his answers from the crowd were mixed.

“I thought he was skirting the questions,” UI student Geordano Liriano said. “He doesn’t know how to get into the nitty-gritty words.”

Responses from some faculty were more positive.