Costs for finding a new Tippie College of Business dean at University of Iowa nearly hit $200,000. That is more than Iowa State University spent to find a new university president and more than four recent high-profile staff searches combined at UI.

UI concluded its search for a business dean earlier this year with the selection of Sarah Gardial, former vice provost at University of Tennessee. That search cost $194,205, including $166,578 for the services of search firm, Korn/Ferry International.

Paying for a search firm, which did not come from taxpayer dollars, was due to more competition in that field, a university spokesman said.

"There is stiff competition from other highly sranked colleges, business, and government financial organizations," spokesman Tom Moore said.

Over in Ames, Iowa State University spent about $133,000 in the hiring last year of school president, Steven Leath. That includes $95,000 for the search firm Parker Executive Search of Atlanta.

A search firm was not used in the search for two other recent UI dean searches, which is the major cost difference, Moore said. UI paid $43,000 to find the new College of Liberal Arts and Sciences dean, Chaden Djalali, an external candidate, and $26,000 during the hiring of College of Engineering dean, Alec Scranton, who was an in-house candidate.

UI also did not use search firms in its two most recent provost hires, Moore said. UI spent about $55,000 in the search for external candidate Wallace Loh in 2008, and about $13,000 in the search for current provost Barry Butler, who was an in-house candidate selected in 2011. Deans report to the provost, who is essentially the second-in-command after the school president.

Those four searches combined were roughly $137,000.

"The university continues to do an excellent job of filling many important leadership positions in a cost-effective manner," Moore said.