The fourth and last finalist to be the University of Iowa's next president spoke Thursday about the importance of increasing graduation and retention rates as sources of critical new revenue for the institution. Daniel Clay — dean of UI's College of Education, and the only internal presidential candidate — said previous administrations at UI and elsewhere have fallen short by failing to listen to communities' concerns about racism, while he also defended the importance of free speech on campus. Increasing graduation and retention rates was the first of three priorities Clay gave in his introduction of himself in an on-campus interview. “Doing so helps people across the rural parts of the state see the value of what our university can do," while also raising UI's national profile, he said.