A milestone in the search for the University of Wisconsin-Superior's next chancellor was reached on Monday when four finalists were announced by University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly.

The four finalist candidates were recommended to President Reilly and a special committee of the UW System Board of Regents by the search and screen committee chaired by Dr. Martha Einerson. The search and screen committee has been working diligently over the past several months in their endeavor to find the new chancellor, following Chancellor Julius Erlenbach's retirement last August. According to Einerson, the entire process has gone very well.

“The [search and screen] committee is amazingly committed. They're working hard,” Einerson said.  “We have met a lot; engaged in thorough, frank, close discussions in working through and coming to our recommendation for these four finalists.”

Over the past few months, the committee has been working to select whom they feel to be the best choice to take over the chancellor's position and lead UW-Superior into the future. With an initial number of nearly fifty applicants, the committee whittled away to reach their goal of five candidates. In the end, they found themselves with four.

“The committee went with who we saw as the four strongest candidates; the four candidates that make the most sense to us based on what we know now,” Einerson said.

Despite reaching this important point in the process, Einerson says they are really only partway through. The next step is to have the candidates visit and tour campus, as well as conduct on-campus conversations with students, faculty and staff. These on-campus conversations and interviews will take place from March 7-14.

“The interview actually spans about a day and a half,” Einerson said. “Probably the most [important] thing, in terms of the campus population and in particular students, is the noon campus conversations that we'll have.”

On each of the four interview days from 12-1 p.m. in the Yellowjacket Union Great Room, candidates will be introduced and will have a chance to share their visions and their goals with the campus population. There will also be an open discussion which will allow the candidates to interact with students, staff and faculty. Einerson says the committee hopes to collect freedback from those who attend to use in consideration for recommending candidates to the UW System and the special regent committee.

“It's also, I think, very important for the campus to realize that...we're not through screening candidates,” she explained. “We're going to learn a lot...it's their [the candidates'] opportunity to interview us, as well.”

For more information about the final chancellor candidates, including their career background, go to http://www.uwsuper.edu/chancellorsearch/final-chancellor-candidates.cfm