ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan Board of Regents, acting as the Presidential Search Committee, has accepted the recommendations of its Presidential Search Advisory Committee

The finalists are Lee C. Bollinger, provost and professor of government, Dartmouth College; Stanley A. Chodorow, provost and professor of history, University of Pennsylvania; Carol T. Christ, vice chancellor, provost and professor of English, University of California at Berkeley; and Larry R. Faulkner, provost, vice chancellor for academic affairs and professor of chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The PSAC, chaired by U-M Law School Dean Jeffrey S. Lehman and comprised of faculty, staff, student and alumni members, presented its recommendations to the Board yesterday (Oct. 17). Members of the Board then had a chance to go over materials about the recommended finalists as well as others on the PSAC’s list of 302 individuals considered for the position. Both sessions were open to the public.

At a public meeting this afternoon (Oct. 18), the eight Board members each had the opportunity to state which candidates they would choose to invite to campus as finalists. Regents were unanimous in their opinion that they should invite to campus the four finalists recommended by the PSAC. Regent Shirley McFee, co-chair of the Presidential Search Committee, noted that the Regents continue to have the opportunity to add candidates to the list of finalists “at any stage up to the final determination.”

“The Presidential Search Advisory Committee came up with a distinguished list of candidates,” said Regent Nellie Varner, also co-chair of the Presidential Search Committee. “I feel that the candidates having gone through a rigorous process and having reached the stage of finalist, we certainly owe them the opportunity to be interviewed by the Board.” Added Regent Philip Power, “A great deal of thought and care went into the work of the advisory committee. I came away from their presentation yesterday enormously impressed with their diligence, their thoughtfulness, and their aggressiveness in pursuing candidates.”

Regent Lawrence Deitch, calling the University of Michigan “the world’s greatest public university,” said “a reflection of that is that this committee has developed four extraordinary candidates, all of whom I am convinced will be presidents of major research universities within the next few years.”

Beginning with Christ on Monday (Oct. 21), the finalists will visit campus for a series of meetings. Each candidate will be on campus for one day, and every meeting during his or her stay will be open to the press and the public. Chodorow will visit Tuesday (Oct. 22), Bollinger Thursday (Oct. 24), and Faulkner Oct. 28.

Each finalist will:

–Be interviewed by the Presidential Search Committee, 9-11 a.m. at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.

–Meet with members of the University community and the general public in a town meeting setting. These meetings will be 2-4 p.m. (not 3:30-5:30 p.m. as previously announced) at the Ford Presidential Library. Those who wish to address questions to the candidates should call the Regents’ Office at (313) 936-2255 or sign up at the door before the meeting. These meetings will be moderated by Lehman.

–Attend a reception at the Ford Presidential Library, open to members of the public, immediately following the town meeting at approximately 4 p.m.

–Attend a social function with a mix of invited guests. Arrangements will be made to allow media access to this function.

At the conclusion of the candidates’ campus visits, the Presidential Search Committee will meet to determine its next steps.

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