University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly announced the names of the four finalists for the chancellorship at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Tuesday.

The candidates include Royce Engstrom, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of South Dakota; Sharon Hahs, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville; Brian Levin-Stankevich, Interim President at Eastern Washington University; and James Perry, Campus Executive Officer and Dean at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley.

"We conducted a nationwide search [for the candidates]," UW-EC spokesperson Mike Rindo said. "From that field of candidates, more than a dozen candidates were interviewed, and the search and screen committee made these recommendations."

The candidate names will now be submitted to the Board of Regents' Special Committee for the UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Search for consideration Jan. 30. The candidate chosen by the regents will become the university's seventh chancellor, replacing Vicki Lord Larson, who has been serving as interim chancellor since March 2005.

The search and screen committee, consisting of 17 people, includes students, faculty, administrators and members of the Eau Claire community.

The presence of students on the search and screen committee is an important influential factor for the student voice, as other attempts to stimulate student involvement have proven dismal.

In the fall of last year, UW-EC held an open forum seeking student input regarding the chancellor search; of more than 10,000 undergraduate students at the university, only three attended.

In addition to a student voice on the search and screen committee, students will also have an opportunity to interact with the finalists next week. According to Rindo, the candidates will be visiting UW-EC individually beginning Jan. 23.

"[The candidates] will be interacting with students in a variety of ways on campus," Rindo said. "One of those major activities will be an open forum, where they can get to know the candidates."

Rindo said this interaction with students, faculty and the community will aid in familiarizing the candidates with the UW-EC campus. In addition to open forums, other planned events include photo sessions, tours and receptions.

Candidate Royce Engstrom said he is excited for his visit, which will be held Jan. 25-26.

"I'm interested in Eau Claire because I think it's one of the best undergraduate and masters programs in the country," he said. "But I think it can get even better."

The new chancellor will have the opportunity to influence policy and administration at the university, as the position description includes designing curricula, defining institutional standards for faculty and other administration functions and handling all funds for UW-EC.

Another candidate, Sharon Hahs, concurs that a strong candidate for the chancellor position will focus on the future of UW-EC.

"[The regents' special committee] is looking more for characteristics than qualifications," Hahs said of the selection process. "They're looking for experience and the ability to move Eau Claire forward in the way that they want to have it progress."

Hahs went on to say that she is "delighted" to be a finalist, and believes "her experience and affinity for the kind of institution Eau Claire is" will be beneficial throughout the selection process.

Final action on the decision is expected from the regents in February.