"Naming issues are always touchy, whether we are talking about corporate naming, sometimes even when you are talking about naming after individuals," she said.
The issue came to the fore at Iowa recently, when members of the faculty rejected a $15 million gift from Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield because they did not want to rename the school's College of Public Health after the insurance company.
"I think this (issue) got out in front of itself," Mason said. "The regents didn't have a chance to discuss it and ultimately, it's a regent's decision."
On lighter topics, Mason, a self-professed college sports fan, said she is expecting big things from Iowa's football team.
"I'm used to going to bowl games, I expect to go to bowl games," she said. "I'm hoping that Iowa will eventually take me to Rose Bowl."
Mason typically attends games with her husband, Kenneth, who will join the university staff as a part-time biology professor. He will also help Mason with fundraising efforts.
Cheering for the Hawkeyes, instead of Purdue, is just one of the adjustments that Mason will have to make. The schools share the same athletic conference and the same colors, black and gold.
That means one thing Mason won't have to worry about changing is her clothes.
"The shade of yellow is a little bit different, so I am working on that," she joked.
Associated Press Writer David Pitt contributed to this report.
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University of Iowa: http://www.uiowa.edu/
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