The names of five finalists for the position of university president were released yesterday, bringing a new era for Iowa State into view.Benjamin Allen, chairman of the Presidential Search Committee, said all of the candidates have met his committee’s expectations.”We came up with selection criteria of general and specific attributes we were looking for in a president,” said Allen, dean of business. “This includes a person able to articulate a vision, communicate that vision and make it happen. This is a very important leadership position.”The five finalists are Sharon Brehm, provost and professor of psychology at Ohio University, Athens; Michael Crow, executive vice provost and professor of science policy and technology at Columbia University, Manhattan, New York; Gregory Geoffroy, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at University of Maryland, College Park; Cora Marrett, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and James L. Melsa, dean of the College of Engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Iowa State.”We have picked a group of five excellent, strong leaders,” said David Hopper, search committee member.It’s a long process to decide the finalists, Allen said. The committee started by looking at all the resumes and talking to references, then ventured off campus to interview people. “We then came up with five people with the best ability, passion and experience to lead ISU,” he said.Iowa State needs strong leadership to move the university forward to be a better institution, said Hopper, president of the Faculty Senate.”There is a great deal of diversity of vision each candidate has for the future,” said Hopper, professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine. “I encourage all colleagues to listen to the candidates and ask questions. All the finalists are good but for very different reasons.”Comments from the ISU community will be taken into consideration when deciding the next university president, said Lisa Ahrens, Board of Regents member.”We are looking for a leader to lead Iowa State according to the mission as a land-grant university,” said Ahrens, senior in agronomy. “As a student, it’s important to have a say in who will lead us. We need a leader who will move forward and is aware of the students.”The finalists will be coming to Iowa State for a day and a half of activities and have fairly aggressive schedules, Allen said.”The finalists will meet with a variety of constituencies and will have lots of meetings with various campus groups,” he said. “It’s important for the finalists to interact with people on campus before the selection to get a feel for everything and know who they will be dealing with.”Once all the finalists have come to Iowa State, the selection committee will give their recommendations to the state Board of Regents, who will then interview them, Ahrens said. She said she expects the board to have a selection made by the end of January or the beginning of February.”The bottom line is that we are looking for a person to improve the university,” Allen said. “We want the best positive learning environment and outreach activities to move ISU further. We want people who will bring energy, excitement and a vision to the university.”