The University of Iowa provides exceptional education, research, and services to the citizens of Iowa and beyond by attracting and retaining faculty and staff members of the highest quality.
The university regularly receives nominations of superior candidates for positions within the institution. Many such individuals may not be aware that the exemplary standing they hold among their peers has led to the submission of their name for a position at the University of Iowa.
The university further encourages well-qualified applicants to seek employment. Those applicants may come from within or outside the university.
Judges, legislators, and researchers have concluded that many nominees or applicants would be deterred from seeking public employment in an open search process. The University of Iowa’s own experience confirms those conclusions. The best nominees and applicants frequently hold positions of respect and authority with other employers. Those individuals may decline to participate in a personnel search due to legitimate and reasonable concerns that disclosure of the individual’s participation in the search may adversely impact the individual’s ability to perform the individual’s present job.
Pursuant to Iowa Code 22.7, the university has determined the following:
- Otherwise qualified outside candidates would be discouraged from applying for university positions if the applications and search committee materials were available for general public examination.
- Persons from outside the university would be deterred from submitting the names of nominees for university positions or comments on candidates for university employment if those nominations or comments were available for general public examination.
- Nominees and applicants from outside the university or Iowa state government may suffer needless and irreparable injury to their reputation if their applications and search committee materials were available for general public examination.
- Nominees and applicants from outside the university or Iowa state government would seek to have discussion and deliberation on their candidacy closed and confidential.
Accordingly, the university has determined that nominations, recommendations, and applications for university employment received from outside Iowa state government shall be maintained as confidential in accordance with the terms of the Iowa open records law.
Job applicants who presently work internally at the University of Iowa, at another Regents institution in this state, or elsewhere within Iowa state government are advised that their names and application materials may be public under the Iowa open records law.
All job applicants are advised that recommendations and letters of support that are authored by University of Iowa employees, employees of other Regents institutions in this state, or by employees working elsewhere within Iowa state government may also be public under the Iowa open records law.