Four finalists vying to be the University of Central Florida’s next provost will take part in on-campus interviews this month.UCF received 93 applications from around the country for the position. Provost and Executive Vice President Terry Hickey has held the position since 2003, and he announced in January that he would step down in June.

The four finalists are:

Ray Alden: Dr. Alden is executive vice president and provost at Northern Illinois University. Previously, he was executive vice president and provost at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dr. Alden received a B.A./B.S. degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Stetson University and a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Florida. An open meeting with Dr. Alden will be held on April 26 from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. in the UCF Teaching Academy, Room 117.

James Coleman: Dr. Coleman is vice provost of research at Rice University. Previously, he was vice chancellor for research and director of the Office of Research at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Dr. Coleman received a B.S. degree in Forestry from the University of Maine, Orono, and a Ph.D. from Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. An open meeting with Dr. Coleman will be held on April 19 from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. in the UCF Teaching Academy, Room 117.

Richard DeMillo: Dr. DeMillo is a distinguished professor of Computing and Management and the former dean of the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Previously, he was vice president and chief technology officer at Hewlett-Packard. Dr. DeMillo received a B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of St. Thomas and a Ph.D. degree in Information and Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology. An open meeting with Dr. DeMillo will be held on April 22 from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. in the UCF Teaching Academy, Room 117.

Tony Waldrop: Dr. Waldrop is vice chancellor for research and economic development at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Previously, he was vice chancellor for research at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Waldrop received a B.A. in Political Science, an M.A. in Physical Education and a Ph.D. in Physiology, all from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. An open meeting with Dr. Waldrop will be held on April 29 from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. in the UCF Teaching Academy, Room 117.

Open meetings will be held on campus with each candidate from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. at the Teaching Academy, Room 117 on the following dates:

April 19: James Coleman

April 22: Richard DeMillo

April 26: Ray Alden

April 29: Tony Waldrop

A committee of faculty and staff members, chaired by College of Sciences Dean Peter Panousis, is leading the search and interview process. UCF also retained the search firm, Academic Search, and selected Robert Lawless as a consultant to assist with the search.

“It speaks highly of UCF that so many qualified leaders from around the country applied for this position,” UCF President John Hitt said. “I commend Dr. Panousis and the committee for the hard work it took to select this outstanding group of finalists.”

For more information about the candidates and the search, please visit the Provost Search Web site.