The search for a new associate provost is winding down and three candidates are up for the position.

NIU Provost Kendall Baker began the search for a new associate provost in February to replace Lou Jean Moyer, who is retiring from the position on June 30.

A search committee narrowed down about 100 applicants to three prospective candidates who will visit NIU to be interviewed by students and faculty.

Baker said the interviews will take place over the next two weeks at NIU. A final decision should be reached before the end of the semester, he added.

Baker said the process had gone very well and that he was very pleased with the quality of the three finalists. However, Baker did say that the search was somewhat restricted do to budgetary constraints.

Baker said everything was being limited due to the budget and that more people might have been interviewed in better times.

F. S. Schwarzbach will arrive at NIU April 22 for a three-day interview process. Schwarzbach is the chairman of the English department at Washington State University at Pullman.

Robert C. Belloli, a chemistry professor and coordinator of Undergraduate Studies at California State University at Fullerton, will visit NIU from April 26-28.

Bonnie Neumann, a former provost for Northrop University in San Diego, will come to NIU for her three-day interview process on April 29.

English Department Chairman James Miller, a member of the search committee, said students will have the opportunity to question the candidates on their third day at NIU.

Each candidate will be available separately to be interviewed by students on April 24, April 28 and May 1 in Room 409 of the Founders Memorial Library at 10:45 a.m.

Miller said the committee will make its recommendations to Baker by May 9. The committee might recommend one candidate or rank the candidates according to its top choices, he said.

Despite what Baker said, Miller said the budget situation did not put a damper on the number of candidates the committee has decided to bring to the university.

“If we had requested more candidates, the provost would have allowed us to bring them in,” he said.

Search committee member Wayne Albrecht, who is the assistant dean of the College of Business, said he is pleased with the candidates.

“I think it (the search process) went real well,” he said.

Moyer said she is looking forward to meeting her replacement and showing the new associate provost the ropes of the university.

Because of the wounded budget, filling her shoes “is not going to be easy for anyone,” she said.

However, the budget situation did not drive her away, she said. “I loved my position.”