Finalists for UNLV provost announced

A search committee for UNLV's next executive vice president and provost, essentially the second-in-command under President Len Jessup, has whittled down the list of candidates to four finalists.

Each finalist, which the university announced Wednesday, will appear before the campus community at public forums starting next week. The finalists are:

* Diane Chase, vice provost of academic program quality at the University of Central Florida.

* Arthur Ellis, provost at the City University of Hong Kong.

* Richard Schoephoerster, former dean of the college of engineer at the University of Texas at El Paso.

* Christa Slaton, dean of the colleges of arts and sciences at New Mexico State University.

Former executive vice president and provost John White, who was a finalist for the vacant presidency last year, announced his resignation from the position in February. White has continued on as an adviser to Jessup through June 2016, when he will return to the Boyd Law School as a professor.

Longtime law professor Nancy Rapoport has served temporarily in White's place since July. Her term expires June 30.

UNLV has sought a full-time replacement since August and received more than 200 applications, said Brent Hathaway, chair of the recruitment and screening committee.

"This is a critical leadership role for all of UNLV, the clear No. 2 leader who has responsibility for everything academic, both from faculty to curriculum programming," Hathaway said. "So they're a very strong complement to Len (Jessup) and his leadership."

UNLV will host the finalists for individual campus visits and public forums from Nov. 30 to Dec. 9. The location and times of the forums and each finalist's letter of interest and academic resume can be found at unlv.edu/provostrecruitment.

Review-Journal Staff Writer Ana Ley contributed to this report. Contact Neal Morton at nmorton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279. Find him on Twitter: @nealtmorton