Pigeon Twp. assessor quits after 50-year career

WEST LAFAYETTE–A chancellor at the University of California Riverside has been in discussions with Purdue University as it enters the final stages of searching for a new president, a spokeswoman said.\nUC-Riverside spokeswoman Marcia McQuern told the Journal & Courier that Chancellor France Córdova had been talking with Purdue but would not elaborate.\nPurdue declined to comment.\n“I cannot confirm it at this end,” said Joseph Bennett, Purdue’s vice president for university relations.\nPurdue provost Sally Mason might be another candidate for the position. Mason said that at the beginning of the process she was applying for the job, but there has been no confirmation from her or the board of trustees about whether she is a finalist.\nCurrent Purdue President Martin Jischke announced in August that he planned to retire June 30 after being Purdue’s top administrator for seven years. Officials have said they plan to name Jischke’s successor in late spring.\nPurdue trustees have been silent on the number of candidates in the running out of concern that sought-after people will drop out of the race if their names are made public.\nCórdova earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Stanford University in 1969 and a doctorate in physics from California Institute of Technology in 1979, according to UC-Riverside’s Web site. Hispanic Business Magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in 1997, according to her online biography.