On the move with Sally Mason
Ashton Shurson - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 10/9/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 1
IOWA LAKESIDE LABORATORY - Flying in a seven-seat plane, UI President Sally Mason talks to husband Ken and Linda Maxson, the dean of the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, about her BlackBerry and the games she likes to play when waiting for events.
Later, the three chitchat about Iowa City restaurants they enjoy as Mason comes across an ad for a new Mediterranean eatery in one of the six papers she brought with her.
The casual conversation among the three important UI figures takes place as the group, including UI Foundation President Lynette Marshall and David Dierks, a foundation vice president, flew to the Okoboji, Iowa, area on Oct. 5 to visit the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory and attend a Jane Goodall lecture.
While the trip up north isn't a typical day for the 20th UI president, traveling to meet potential gift donors and visit areas associated with the UI is.
After landing in Spencer, Iowa, following the hour-long flight, Mason powers up her BlackBerry and starts counting the number of new e-mails, "one, two, three" and so on.
As they ride to the Lakeside Lab, with Mason, Marshall, and Maxson in the back seat, the three women discuss a Time article about universities marketing credit cards to students - hoping the UI isn't mentioned.
Moving past corn fields, small-town stores, and beautiful large houses by the lake, they are interrupted by an occasional golf course where Mason points out "Dear, there's a golf course." Mason never refers to her husband by name.
Once the car pulls up to the lab, which is nestled in the woods right by the lake, it's all business - a tour of the lab, mingling with the Friends of Lakeside Lab, representatives from the other regent universities, and Jane Goodall - who later will deliver a lecture.
"She's a brilliant woman," Mason says later. "She's had a lifetime of incredible work, and she's very focused."
Mason says she appreciates actually visiting places more than just hearing about them.
Many of her travels are used for fundraising and meeting people important to the UI. A day before the Okoboji trip, Mason and Marshall traveled to Aspen, Colo., for the same reasons. In the not-so-distant future, the 57-year-old will journey to Cedar Rapids and Dubuque, and more places around the state.
"I'm focused on staying in Iowa and getting connected to Iowa," Mason says. "It's work, but it's fun work. Meeting people is the best part of my job."
She says she enjoys hearing stories from people who are passionate about the UI. On a typical day in Iowa City, she usually attends five to eight meetings a day with a little desk time thrown into the mix. She is also touring facilities around campus and getting used to the job.
"There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not excited about going to work," she says, smiling.
E-mail DI reporter Ashton Shurson at:
ashton-shurson@uiowa.edu
Later, the three chitchat about Iowa City restaurants they enjoy as Mason comes across an ad for a new Mediterranean eatery in one of the six papers she brought with her.
The casual conversation among the three important UI figures takes place as the group, including UI Foundation President Lynette Marshall and David Dierks, a foundation vice president, flew to the Okoboji, Iowa, area on Oct. 5 to visit the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory and attend a Jane Goodall lecture.
While the trip up north isn't a typical day for the 20th UI president, traveling to meet potential gift donors and visit areas associated with the UI is.
After landing in Spencer, Iowa, following the hour-long flight, Mason powers up her BlackBerry and starts counting the number of new e-mails, "one, two, three" and so on.
As they ride to the Lakeside Lab, with Mason, Marshall, and Maxson in the back seat, the three women discuss a Time article about universities marketing credit cards to students - hoping the UI isn't mentioned.
Moving past corn fields, small-town stores, and beautiful large houses by the lake, they are interrupted by an occasional golf course where Mason points out "Dear, there's a golf course." Mason never refers to her husband by name.
Once the car pulls up to the lab, which is nestled in the woods right by the lake, it's all business - a tour of the lab, mingling with the Friends of Lakeside Lab, representatives from the other regent universities, and Jane Goodall - who later will deliver a lecture.
"She's a brilliant woman," Mason says later. "She's had a lifetime of incredible work, and she's very focused."
Mason says she appreciates actually visiting places more than just hearing about them.
Many of her travels are used for fundraising and meeting people important to the UI. A day before the Okoboji trip, Mason and Marshall traveled to Aspen, Colo., for the same reasons. In the not-so-distant future, the 57-year-old will journey to Cedar Rapids and Dubuque, and more places around the state.
"I'm focused on staying in Iowa and getting connected to Iowa," Mason says. "It's work, but it's fun work. Meeting people is the best part of my job."
She says she enjoys hearing stories from people who are passionate about the UI. On a typical day in Iowa City, she usually attends five to eight meetings a day with a little desk time thrown into the mix. She is also touring facilities around campus and getting used to the job.
"There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not excited about going to work," she says, smiling.
E-mail DI reporter Ashton Shurson at:
ashton-shurson@uiowa.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Reader
posted 10/09/07 @ 12:25 PM CST
Dear administrators,
If you "hope that the UI isn't mentioned" in the Time Magazine article about marketing credit cards to students then DON'T ALLOW IT. (Continued…)
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