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| New vice president of research ready to make a change |
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| Written by Liz Virtue - Argonaut | ||||||
| Tuesday, 15 April 2008 | ||||||
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Jack McIver has traveled the world to pursue his love of research and laser technology. He has lived in Moscow, Russia; London and Albuquerque, N.M. McIver will make the move to Idaho in June to assume the position of vice president of research at the University of Idaho. McIver currently serves as the interim vice president of research and economic development at the University of New Mexico. He has worked in New Mexico for six years and said it was a great experience but he is ready to come to UI. “The University of Idaho is poised to grow and the leadership there is very good,” McIver said. “All of the pieces are there to do some interesting things. Better yet there are people at the university who want to do them.” As the vice president of research, McIver will supervise any policies or procedures that relate to research, technology transfer, economic development and regulatory compliance at UI. He will also administrate UI’s research office and work closely with other research institutes and facilities across the state. McIver said his global experience makes him a suitable candidate for the job. “I am bringing a lot of communications and relationships with me,” McIver said. One of McIver’s biggest goals is to work closely with other universities in the state of Idaho and bridge the gap that exists between them, he said. “I want to form partnerships with other universities,” McIver said. “I think it’s important that we work collaboratively to cut down on the competition between us and make each of us stronger.” Greg Bohach, the associate dean for research in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, said McIver was chosen from a large pool of candidates nationwide. President Tim White created a multidisciplinary selection committee that included students and faculty from different fields to meet with potential contenders. McIver was interviewed for the position and the committee agreed he was the right one for the job. “Jack has a great personality,” Bohach said. “Uniformly, people felt comfortable communicating with him.” The research position had been open for more than a year after the former vice president retired. Bohach said the committee looked at numerous candidates but thought McIver would bring something innovative to the university. “Jack will bring a new perspective and many years of experience,” he said. “He has a long history of doing research and is very active in his own field.” McIver will start the job on June 2 but said he hopes to be in Idaho before then to adjust to his new lifestyle. He has never lived in Idaho before but said he is ready for a change of scenery. “I like the outdoors and I like fishing,” McIver said. “I simply like open spaces as opposed to big cities.” However, there is one things McIver said he will miss most about his home in New Mexico. “Green chili,” he said. “If you haven’t had it, you haven’t lived.” Jokes aside, McIver said he is going to miss his friends and colleagues, as well as the culture and diversity that exists in New Mexico. Diversity is one thing McIver said he feels strongly about and one thing he would like to strengthen at UI. Bohach said McIver’s talk of creating more diversity at UI is one of the things the selection committee enjoyed. “He has a strong commitment to diversity and a strong commitment to research, not only in the hard sciences but in the humanities as well,” he said. While McIver is excited for new job in administration, he said it wasn’t something he thought he would be doing. “In college I had the typical attitude that only an idiot would be in administration or go to the ‘dark side,’ as they call it,” McIver said. “But at some point you should look at studying policies and giving the younger faculty experience teaching.”  Add as favorites (23) | Views: 300
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