DULUTH — Nearly two years after former University of Minnesota Duluth Chancellor Lendley Black retired, UMD has narrowed the search to fill its top job to three candidates.
Dwight Watson, former chancellor and professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; Charles Nies, vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of California Merced, and former assistant dean at Miami University in Ohio; and Fernando Delgado, president of Lehman College, City University of New York, and former executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at UMD, are participating in public forums on campus this week, from Wednesday to Friday.
Chancellor interviews come amidst declining enrollment, budget shortfalls, sweeping reviews of academic programs, and tense contract negotiations with UMD's faculty union.
The next chancellor will replace interim Chancellor Dave McMillan, named after Black retired in summer 2022 and a search for his permanent replacement yielded three finalists, none of whom were hired.
The new UMD chancellor will be charged with assembling an administration, with UMD’s three vice chancellors either serving in interim roles or set to retire. Amy Hietapelto is interim executive vice chancellor for academic affairs; Sue Bosell is interim vice chancellor for finance and operations; and Lisa Erwin, vice chancellor for student life and dean of students, will retire in July.
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UMD chancellor interviews follow the naming of Dr. Rebecca Cunningham as the University of Minnesota system's next president. Cunningham, the vice president of research and innovation at the University of Michigan and former emergency room physician, is expected to start in July, replacing interim President Jeff Ettinger.
Ettinger has held the role since former University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel left last year to lead the University of Pittsburgh.
As president, Cunningham will oversee the entire university system and serve as chancellor of its flagship Twin Cities campus. The system’s other campuses — Duluth, Crookston, Rochester, and Morris — each have their own chancellors.
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