Iowa State is beginning to narrow down its potential university presidential candidates to four finalists with the help of an executive search firm.

The Board of Regents hired Korn/Ferry International to help in Iowa State’s search for a new university president, said Benjamin Allen, chair of the ISU Presidential Search and Screen Advisory Committee.

“Their primary role, in my opinion, is to provide us with information about prospects, who they know from their vast network,” Allen said. “They generate a list of names, a list of people who express an interest and hopefully will be a good leader of this university.”

Board of Regents President Owen Newlin said the firm plays an important role in the presidential search process.

“They know most of the potential candidates around the country at the colleges and universities,” he said. “They can try to encourage people who would be good candidates to apply.”

Allen said while the firm provides information on the candidates, the committee itself does the screening.

“They’re to assist us, not to do our work,” he said.

Allen said the presidential search process has a solid foundation.

“I feel we have a very strong committee,” he said. “We came up with a very good set of criteria in a process that was open.”

Newlin said the process seems to be on schedule.

“I have no reason to think that we won’t meet our schedule,” he said.

Allen said the committee hopes to choose a competitive set of finalists.

“We will make it very hard for the board to pick among the candidates,” he said. “The committee members are reviewing now the resumes of the people who have expressed interest.”

Allen said the presidential search criteria was approved by the Board of Regents during its meeting Oct. 18, and members of the search committee discussed the length of campus visits for the four finalists during the last meeting.

“It’s very important to give people a chance to meet and question the candidates,” he said.

Allen said it will probably be late December or early January before the committee has selected finalists for the position. The finalists then will be presented to the regents, who will select the president.