Three of the five finalists for chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire have withdrawn from the search, including Pam Benoit.
Benoit, Ohio University’s executive vice president and provost, whose 2012-2013 OU salary is $265,696, was scheduled to visit the public four-year institution in Wis. that enrolls about 11,500 students on March 20 for her final interview.
However, after withdrawing on March 11, Benoit will not make the almost 750-mile trip.
“I can confirm that she made the decision to withdrawal,” said Ann Fidler, chief of staff for the provost and chief financial officer.
Fidler would not comment on specifics as to why Benoit withdrew from the chancellor search.
The two finalists that remain are Kent Neely, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Western Oregon University and James Schmidt, vice president for University Advancement at Winona State University.
The two will be interviewed by UW System President Kevin Reilly and the special regents committee March 13, according to chair of the search and screen committee Rama Yelkur, UW-Eau Claire professor of marketing and coordinator of international business programs.
"The UW-Eau Claire chancellorship is an outstanding opportunity for a talented academic leader to join a vibrant university campus," said Edmund Manydeeds, chair of the UW- System Board of Regents special committee for the search, in a statement. “The search process will continue with two finalists.”
After their interviews, Reilly and the committee will recommend one candidate to the full Board of Regents, which must approve the appointment. The new chancellor will be announced in April at the full Board of Regents meeting at UW-La Crosse.
The person selected will succeed former UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich, who stepped down last spring to accept a job as president of Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. UW-Madison's Gilles Bousquet has served as interim chancellor since July.
