The ISU Presidential Search committee met via conference call Thursday afternoon.

“We promised to keep everybody up to date, and the purpose of the meeting is to do exactly that,” said Labh Hira, dean of the College of Business and co-chair of the search committee.

The committee is continuing its search process, which has identified more than 50 individuals who have been nominated for the soon-to-be vacant position of university president. President Geoffroy announced plans to step down in March.

“In basically two weeks of an aggressive search process, that is excellent,” said Dan Parker, president of Parker Executive Search, the Atlanta firm that was hired by the Board of Regents to aid its search.”We haven’t scratched the surface in our effort. We have another five to six weeks in our recruiting.”

The list of nominations is made up of a combination of candidates who were selected by the committee and candidates who are self-nominated.

Parker believes that they are in a good position to have 12 to 15 qualified nominations to consider.

“It only takes one, and we’re looking for that one that the committee job does define,” Parker said.

The names of the candidates will not be released at this stage in the search process.

“The candidates do have the right in the early stages of the search to keep their names confidential,” said Roger Underwood, co-chair of the search committee and the chairman of Campaign Iowa State: Pride and Purpose.

Nominations are kept confidential so as not to endanger the positions nominees currently hold.

“If you’re sitting in a position, you don’t want to jeopardize it by raising your hand and saying ‘I’m interested in Iowa State,'” Parker said.

The names of the candidates will be released once there is an open search process (during which the candidates will be on campus).

People will be able to meet them and ask them questions, Underwood. said.

The next meeting, during which the committee will continue discussing potential candidates, will be held on Aug. 16.