COAS dean considered for IUB chancellor

University officials confirmed Tuesday that College of Arts and Sciences Dean Kumble Subbaswamy is one of three finalists chosen to replace Ken Gros Louis as the IU-Bloomington chancellor.\nThe field has been narrowed and soon the other finalists vying for the chancellor's seat will enter the next phase of interviews. Members of the chancellor search committee said three candidates have been handed up to the president, who will complete the process.\nThe names of the three finalists are being withheld in IU President Adam Herbert's office, and an official date to name the candidates, has not been announced.\n"Consistent with the strong recommendation of our search consultant, to assure the probability of a successful search outcome, we will not disclose the names of any candidates until the recommendation is announced," Herbert said in a statement.\nWhen contacted by phone, Subbaswamy directed all comments to the president's office.\nAccording to his biography on the IU homepages Web site, Subbaswamy received a doctorate in physics from IU in 1976. He also taught at the University of California-Irvine, the University of Kentucky and the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla.\nIn his statement, Herbert said a final candidate would be announced in the next two months. \nTrevor Brown, former dean of the IU School of Journalism and chancellor search committee chair, attributes the quickness of the search and screening process to the hard work of the committee during the summer.\n"We were concerned in the spring semester that we were not going to accomplish anything in the summer ... but were delighted to (be able to) work in the summer," Brown said.\nHowever, Herbert and the committee are "very aware of the competitive nature" in hiring a new chancellor. Recruiting top administrators has become increasingly competitive, and IU must "get a move on" and make a decision to ensure Bloomington hires the best candidate, Brown said.\n"People at this sort of position are very much in demand," Brown said. "We need to make sure we get them instead of another institution."\n-- Campus Editor Rick Newkirk contributed to this story.