VCU nearing decision on new president

Virginia Commonwealth University could find out today who will succeed Eugene P. Trani as the school's president.

The VCU board of visitors has scheduled a closed meeting this evening, during which it is expected to choose from three finalists selected by the presidential search committee.

Edward H. Bersoff, a board member who is chairman of the search committee, confirmed yesterday that the finalists have been presented to the board.

He said about 40 candidates formally applied for the position, none of whom was from within VCU.

"The beauty of the search," he said, was that so many candidates viewed VCU "as an extraordinarily great place to be." Candidates were impressed by VCU's infrastructure, its diversity and the opportunity the university affords.

"We got extraordinarily talented candidates," he said. "We didn't have to go looking under rocks."

The committee's main difficulty was narrowing down the field, he said.

"To get to three was a challenge. They're all standouts," said Bersoff, who declined to identify the finalists.

The 17-member search committee was named in September to find a successor to Trani, who plans to step down June 30 from the job he has held since 1990. Trani will remain at the university with the title of distinguished professor.

The search committee included board members, faculty and staff representatives, an alumnus, students and a VCU Foundation member.

In addition to interviewing candidates, the committee held a series of town-hall meetings to get input on what characteristics a new president should have.

Contact Karin Kapsidelis at (804) 649-6119 or .