John “Jack” McIver, vice president of Research and Economic Development, promised his wife he would retire at a reasonable age.
“So this seemed to be a good time,” McIver said.
After eight years in the position, McIver has announced his plans to retire at the end of June 2016.
McIver said bringing together the current staff at the research office to deal with research administration will be among his most noteworthy accomplishments in the position. McIver also said he made the office more efficient and less intrusive, so that conducting research was easier for faculty.
Yet, McIver also said he worked to ensure research is being conducted at the highest standard and meets all state and federal guidelines.
McIver also oversaw the planning stages and redesign process of the Integrated Research and Innovation Center, which was redesigned to be smaller and less expensive to build.
McIver
McIver also said he reduced the number of university-wide research institutes down to three – the Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST), the Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI) and the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI).
These institutes are designed to bring together the private sector, public sector, university faculty and students together to collaborate on research projects, he said.
In order to support increased interdisciplinary studies, he also worked to get larger awards from funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health.
Rather than having individual researchers apply for smaller awards, he has encouraged the deans, faculty and research teams to seek larger multi-year awards of up to $20 million. McIver said these efforts have resulted in more research projects being funded.
He also worked to arrange research collaborations with other universities in Idaho and throughout the Northwest.
McIver said that university research is more likely to produce results when people from different institutions collaborate instead of compete. Researchers from different universities can pool their knowledge to find solutions to the problems facing the state and region.
“I think the future, frankly, of many of the research questions that universities need to address is going to require teams of universities working together,” McIver said.
McIver said credit for these accomplishments also must go to his staff, since running the research office is a group effort. He praised his staff”s dedication and professionalism, and stated that he couldn”t have accomplished so much without them.
McIver said what he”ll miss about working for the research office is the excitement of developing new research projects, nurturing new ideas and helping the university achieve its potential. He also said that he will miss collaborating with other people both in and outside of his workplace.
Gene Merrell, associate vice president for Research, has worked under McIver since 2008 and described his leadership style as largely hands off. He said McIver is generally trusting of his coworkers” judgment and gives them plenty of leeway.
“You agree on what needs to be accomplished and he lets you do it, however it makes sense for you to get the task accomplished,” Merrell said.
Merrell said although they usually work independently, McIver is supportive of his coworkers and is always ready to help when needed.
He is also open to constructive criticism from his staff and is not upset if people disagree with his ideas or make alternate suggestions, he said. Merrell also described McIver as somebody who is dedicated to the university and genuinely wants to see it grow and prosper.
Even with only nine months left before retirement, Merrell said McIver shows no signs of slowing down.
“You don”t see him with that retiree-itis,” Merrell said. “He”s still fully engaged in what he does, and I”m going to guess he will be up to the very end – that”s just his nature.”
McIver said that after retiring he intends to spend much of his time doing recreational activities, such as bicycling, fishing and reading, as well as working on independent research that interests him.
McIver will continue to live in Moscow, but he and his wife also plan to travel the world during his retirement. McIver said they plan to visit Russia, Germany, England and India in the coming years, and plan to visit their kids more often.
“Basically what I plan to do in my retirement is all those things I”ve been putting off for 40 years,” McIver said.
Ryan Locke can be reached at [email protected]