Provost candidate Patricia Hanna just returned from London and will be whisked away again to Kuwait within the next week.

Before she makes the long trip, though, she begins an early day of meetings and forums at 7:30 a.m. today in search of information about NIU and a chance to introduce herself to the campus.

Her worldliness, she says, would be an added bonus if she was chosen as the No. 2 administrator at NIU.

“I think it’s important to build in people a firm understanding of tradition and the value you can take from it,” said Hanna, the College of Humanities dean at the University of Utah and a traveler to many exotic countries. “I’m looking forward to getting a sense of what people are thinking about, a sense of where Northern wants to be. A university consists of its faculty, students and supportive staff. I want to hear about their dreams and aspirations.”

Hanna is the third of four candidates to visit campus, vying for the job of executive vice president and provost. The position currently is held by interim provost Lynne Waldeland, who has spent 18 months in the job since the retirement of J. Carroll Moody.

William Wehrenberg, dean of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences at Clemson University, visited NIU last month. John Dunn, College of Health dean at the University of Utah, wrapped up his visit this weekend.

The 55-year-old Hanna said her job at the University of Utah involves overseeing budget and personnel matters — but not students directly. She’s also promoted curricular reform, working with the university when it changed format from quarters to semesters.

Her department oversees communication, English, history and language. She’s also recognized as a philosophy professor, but misses her teaching time, which has been scarce since the curriculum change.

Hanna has worked directly with the Asian studies department, which became a degree-granting program in 1991. She’s now working to develop a Korean minor at the university.

“There’s really an unusual population base in Utah,” Hanna said. “The Asian population is growing, mainly because of the Mormon missionary work in Asia. Many students will start out at [Brigham Young University], do missionary work in Asia and then come to the university, or the other way around.”

In addition to Kuwait, she’s traveling to Korea at the end of the month. Although she’s been to places such as France, Italy, Germany, Malaysia, Japan and Singapore, she’s not proficient in any other languages.

“It’s ironic, really,” Hanna said. “I’ve been to all these places, I study languages, but I can’t speak any others. I’m familiar with a few, and I can recognize French when I read it, but that’s about it.”

Hanna earned her bachelor’s degree and Ph.D at the University of Cincinnati in 1967 and 1972, respectively. She grew up in Ohio, and her 22-year-old daughter Elizabeth now lives in London.

“I can bring to Northern a profound commitment to public higher education,” Hanna said, “and an energy to work with people, helping them arrive at commitment and agreed-upon goals. I like collaborative efforts. I can’t just sit in an office alone without working with people.

“It’s also important to understand a place in its surroundings,” she added. “You can’t just walk in and change the place when you don’t know what it’s about. You have to listen to the people who are here and find out where they want to be. NIU is an exciting place. It reminds me of Utah when I first got there. I love the sense of people’s achievement and finding their interests. I like a challenge, and Northern has some amazing challenges.”

She said she would like to see a study abroad requirement built in with professional internship and other degree requirements, saying she would promote fund-raising activities to make that a possibility.

Hanna stressed getting to know students during the short time she’ll be here, getting a feel for what the big issues are on campus.

“At the end of the day at any university, the undergraduates are the reason we’re here,” Hanna said. “The rest is tied up within that, but we’re training them to be the best students.”

J. Ivan Legg will be the last provost candidate to visit NIU. He arrives on campus Wednesday night, with meetings continuing through Friday.