Over the the summer months four open forums were help in Ames to get inout from the community about the preferred qualifications of the next president of Iowa State.

Three of the forums were held on campus at the Memorial Union, and one was held in downtown Ames. There were two per day, spanning two days, from June 12 to June 13.

“The most important goal of the presidential search committee is to ensure that the search for Iowa State’s 16th president is as inclusive and comprehensive as possible,” said Luis Rico-Gutierrez, co-chair of the committee and Dean of ISU’s College of Design, in a release. “We believe that it is critical to solicit input from all constituencies on what attributes the next president should have.”

At the second forum on June 12, Vice President of Student Government Cody Smith was in the audience to add his input to the discussions.

Smith said it came down to a candidate willing to go against the current status quo, and to form a coalition of multiple voices to support advancement on campus and in the legislature.

“I think over the past five years especially, we’ve seen the mentality ‘well if the state’s not going to fund us more, so let’s raise tuition,'” Smith said. “I understand that that’s necessary to keep the university going, but I also think that we need somebody … who has the ability to question [that].”