CORRECTION: Howard Brill, a law professor at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, is chairman of the search committee for a new chancellor. This article misstated his first name.
FAYETTEVILLE -- The chairman of a 17-member search committee helping to find a new chancellor at the University of Arkansas said Friday he is optimistic a new leader can be "on board" by the middle of January.
Harold Brill, a UA law professor, made the comment in an interview after a search committee meeting, which was closed to the media and public. Participants declined to reveal the names of those who were discussed at the meeting, which was a five-hour session at the Inn at Carnall Hall on the UA campus.
When reached late Friday by a reporter, Donald Bobbitt -- president of the University of Arkansas System -- did not disclose names of applicants. He said he did not have the information with him, and he said he could not provide it over the weekend. He said the UA System on Monday would begin releasing information about the applicants.
Applications are public information under Arkansas law.
"They are not finalists," Brill said of the people discussed at Friday's meeting. "They are people we have received information about, and we are excited about some of these people."
Fewer than 30 "exceptionally high quality" people were discussed, he said, declining to specify a number.
Three representatives of the Florida-based search firm Greenwood/Asher & Associates Inc. provided information, Brill said, including two binders stacked with paper measuring more than 4 inches high.
Brill said top prospects will be contacted soon.
The UA System has said the committee does not have decision-making authority, and no candidates will be ruled out by the committee, "even if recommendations are made for the President's consideration."
The next chancellor will replace G. David Gearhart, who retired at the end of July. Interim Chancellor Dan Ferritor took on the role pending the search. Ferritor previously served as UA's chancellor from 1986-97.
Laura Jacobs, a committee member and UA's associate vice chancellor for university relations, said the people discussed in the meeting all have ties to higher education.
Asked how many currently serve as the top official at a college or university, Brill declined to answer directly.
"I'm not going to talk about their present positions, but there are a number of these people who have significant leadership positions in higher education in leading institutions," Brill said.
He declined to say whether anyone discussed Friday lives in Arkansas, describing the group as "diverse."
"In some instances, they had responded to an ad. In some instances, someone else had suggested them. In some instances, it came from information the search firm has about thousands of people in higher education," Brill said.
Of the group discussed, "I have never met any one of them personally," said Brill, adding that, "with one or two possible exceptions, no one on the committee had personal knowledge of any of these people."
The committee consists of mostly UA faculty, administrators and staff. Committee members also include representatives of the UA System board of trustees, the UA Division of Agriculture and the Arkansas Alumni Association, among other groups.
The university is providing updates and an opportunity for community input at http://chancellor.uark.edu/chancellor-search.
Brill declined to say when the next committee meeting would take place.
Discussions involved "a number of issues, including education, academic experience, institution at which they've been associated, their role in fundraising, their role in academic leadership, their role in their professions," Brill said.
Asked what might separate top candidates from the field, Brill talked about evaluating their potential to "move this institution to the next level."
"Our judgment will be based upon what they've done in the past and what we think they can do in the future for this institution," he said.
Metro on 08/22/2015