MADISON (AP) - Three high-level academic executives in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Kentucky have emerged as finalists to become the UW System's next president, system officials announced Thursday.
The candidates include Raymond Cross, who doubles as chancellor of UW-Extension and UW Colleges; Peter Garland, executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education; and Robert King, president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.
A selection committee made up of members of the Board of Regents plans to interview the finalists on Monday. All three will be available for questions from faculty, staff, students and community members through a statewide videoconference that day as well. The selection committee will choose one candidate on Tuesday and forward his name to the full Board of Regents, which expected to announce a hiring decision on Jan. 9.
It's unclear how many applicants applied for the UW job; system spokesman David Giroux said he didn't have any information on the size of the pool.
Whoever wins the position will enter a difficult political realm. The system has been at odds with Republican legislators for years. Kevin Reilly, the system's last president, announced this summer he would resign at the end of the year amid intense criticism from GOP lawmakers for allowing campuses to build massive reserves while raising tuition year after year.
Cross has served since 2011 as chancellor of UW-Extension, the UW System's public outreach arm, and UW Colleges, the state's 13 two-year colleges. Cross played a key role in developing the UW System's flex option program, which allows students to parlay work and life experience into college credits.
Cross holds a doctorate in college administration from Michigan State University and served as president of Morrisville State College in Morrisville, N.Y., and Northwest Technical College in Bemidji, Minn., according to a resume UW System officials released Thursday.
Garland has served as vice chancellor and CEO of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, that state's 115,000-student, 14-college public system, since 2006. He serves as Chancellor Frank Brogan's chief adviser and worked as acting chancellor from March until September before Brogan was hired in October.
Garland holds a doctorate in higher education from Penn State. His previous jobs include stints as deputy secretary for postsecondary and higher education with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and executive director of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, according to his resume.
King has worked as president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education since 2009. The council approves tuition rates and develops a budget proposal for the state's public universities and colleges, which include the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville.
He holds a law degree from Vanderbilt and led a task force within the Monroe County, N.Y., district attorney's office that prosecuted local mob leaders during the late 1970s and early 1980s, his resume said. He also has served in New York's Legislature, worked as Monroe County executive and worked as chancellor of the State University of New York system.
The candidates include Raymond Cross, who doubles as chancellor of UW-Extension and UW Colleges; Peter Garland, executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education; and Robert King, president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.
A selection committee made up of members of the Board of Regents plans to interview the finalists on Monday. All three will be available for questions from faculty, staff, students and community members through a statewide videoconference that day as well. The selection committee will choose one candidate on Tuesday and forward his name to the full Board of Regents, which expected to announce a hiring decision on Jan. 9.
It's unclear how many applicants applied for the UW job; system spokesman David Giroux said he didn't have any information on the size of the pool.
Whoever wins the position will enter a difficult political realm. The system has been at odds with Republican legislators for years. Kevin Reilly, the system's last president, announced this summer he would resign at the end of the year amid intense criticism from GOP lawmakers for allowing campuses to build massive reserves while raising tuition year after year.
Cross has served since 2011 as chancellor of UW-Extension, the UW System's public outreach arm, and UW Colleges, the state's 13 two-year colleges. Cross played a key role in developing the UW System's flex option program, which allows students to parlay work and life experience into college credits.
Cross holds a doctorate in college administration from Michigan State University and served as president of Morrisville State College in Morrisville, N.Y., and Northwest Technical College in Bemidji, Minn., according to a resume UW System officials released Thursday.
Garland has served as vice chancellor and CEO of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, that state's 115,000-student, 14-college public system, since 2006. He serves as Chancellor Frank Brogan's chief adviser and worked as acting chancellor from March until September before Brogan was hired in October.
Garland holds a doctorate in higher education from Penn State. His previous jobs include stints as deputy secretary for postsecondary and higher education with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and executive director of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, according to his resume.
King has worked as president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education since 2009. The council approves tuition rates and develops a budget proposal for the state's public universities and colleges, which include the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville.
He holds a law degree from Vanderbilt and led a task force within the Monroe County, N.Y., district attorney's office that prosecuted local mob leaders during the late 1970s and early 1980s, his resume said. He also has served in New York's Legislature, worked as Monroe County executive and worked as chancellor of the State University of New York system.