A search committee that will recommend an interim chancellor for the North Dakota University System meets this morning to narrow the list.
The number of candidates was trimmed to nine after nominee Richard Tschider, retired CEO and president of St. Alexius Medical Center in Bismarck, decided not to apply.
Tschider said Monday that he couldn't make the time commitment the committee is looking for, which is 17 months to two years.
Committee member Sharon Etemad, president of Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, nominated Tschider.
The committee initially said an interim chancellor would work for about a year, but decided last week to extend it to allow the interim to be an active leader and not a manager.
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The interim would replace Chancellor Robert Potts, who will resign effective Monday under an agreement approved last week.
Potts told the state Board of Higher Education on June 30 he wanted to resign because his philosophy of how the system should operate differs from that of a majority of board members.
If an interim can't start Aug. 1, the board may ask Potts to work as chancellor beyond Monday, the agreement says.
The six-member committee has said it will choose one or two candidates to forward to the state Board of Higher Education, which meets Friday.
By Monday, all nominees but Tschider had submitted letters of application and resumes to the committee.
The candidates are: Chuck Cheney, retired West Fargo School superintendent; W. Jeremy Davis, former University of North Dakota School of Law dean; Eddie Dunn, vice chancellor with the university system; Phil Harmeson, associate to the UND president; William Isaacson, who served on the board from 1998 to 2002; Paul Markel, associate professor at Minot State; James Schobel, former Mayville State president; Earl Strinden, former executive vice president of UND's alumni association, and Lee Vickers, president of Dickinson State.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590
