5/2/21 New University of Iowa president Barbara Wilson is already proving to be much more popular than her predecessor. That’s according to feedback released by the Iowa Board of Regents following the announcement of Wilson’s hiring on Friday. Of the 320 people who submitted feedback…including faculty, staff, students and other community members…Wilson had an 80% approval rating. That’s the highest among the four finalists interviewed by the Regents. Wendy F. Hensel, Georgia State University provost, had a 73% approval rating, while Penn State Law Dean Hari Osofsky received a 63% positive rating. The only candidate with a negative rating from respondents was UI College of Education dean Dan Clay, who earned only a 36% approval rating.