(Radio Iowa) – Barbara Wilson took office Wednesday as the 22nd president of the University of Iowa, the third woman to hold the position. Wilson replaces Bruce Harreld, who retired after taking the office late in 2015. Wilson is a communications scholar and academic administrator who previously served as the second in command at the University of Illinois system. U-I Undergraduate Student Body President Regan Smock says she hopes campus mental health will be a priority for Wilson. “COVID illuminated a lot of what some people were living in silence about,” Smock says. “I really hope that we can try to push more funding towards mental health services in general. I think, especially for students of color, students of underrepresented and underserved backgrounds.”

Smock said she anticipates one of Wilson’s biggest challenges will be earning trust across a diverse range of constituents on campus. “There are students who will never think about who’s making decisions about stuff, but those who do, do not feel heard in what they need and what they want,” Smock says. “Part of that is that you have constituents with different demands and different things they need and that makes it difficult.”

Wilson has also spoken about her goals to expand diversity, equity and inclusion and improve graduation rates. Reports say Wilson received a five-year contract with an annual salary of 600-thousand dollars as well as a five-year deferred compensation plan with an annual contribution of 400-grand.

(By Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)