And then there were two.
The final contenders for Chico State's next university president were named Oct. 8, but on Monday the original three candidates became two when one removed her name from the running.
Karen S. Haynes, president of University of Houston-Victoria, said she was honored to be among the three finalists, but that she could not continue in the search.
"After extensive soul searching, I made the decision to withdraw my name from further consideration for the position," Haynes said in a press release.
The two candidates left for consideration are currently provost and vice president of academic affairs are their respective schools -- Lois Muir at the University of Montana - Missoula and Paul J. Zingg at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Associated Students President Michael Dailey said he was surprised to hear that Haynes had stepped down from the possible position. Dailey is also the student representative on the Advisory Committee for Selection of the President.
"I'm kind of shocked," he said. "I can't say I understand. It sounds like something came up."
However, Dailey also said Haynes' withdrawal will not compromise the quality of the next president.
"I feel fine in the sense that we still have two good candidates," he said. "We didn't invite anyone to campus that we didn't feel would be fit."
Dailey said the next step is to see how his fellow students and the rest of campus feels about what they want in the next president.
Muir will visit Chico State on Oct. 20 and Zingg on Oct. 21, at which time they will meet with faculty, staff, students and the community. Students can participate in an open forum from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. each day. Muir and Zingg will spend the rest of their time on campus meeting with department chairs, student groups, the A.S. and the media.
An evaluation form will be given to those who attend the open forum, and the completed evaluations of Muir and Zingg will be given to members of the search committee. Dailey also encouraged students to contact the members of the search committee, like him, and let them know what they want to see in the next president.
"The chancellor and the trustees are going to be looking to me for what the students want," he said. "Students need to say what's important to them."
The search committee will make a recommendation to the CSU Board of Trustees, which will hold a meeting on Oct. 30. The board will interview the two finalists and a president is expected to be named shortly after. The start date for the new president has not yet been determined.
Dailey said his main issue is to choose someone who values students. Other students, he said, have voiced the same concern and also that they want to see diversity on campus.
Dailey said that one thing that impressed him about Muir was that she talked often about how she wanted to involve students in decision-making. He said he was confident that she valued students and the idea of "shared governance" of the university.
Muir, 55, has been in her position at UMT since 2000. Before that, she was associate provost at Kent State University in Ohio and has held other administrative and faculty positions at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, University of Wisconsin, University of South Dakota and Indiana University.
She earned her Ph.D. in psychology from State University of New York and Stony Brook and her masters in family and child development from Auburn University. She also graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in psychology.
Muir said her current campus is quite similar to Chico State, such as it being part of a small community. She said she is looking forward to the possibility of being the next Chico State president.
"I'm looking forward to getting to know the community," she said. "It seems like the kind of community I'd enjoy."
She said she wants to hear from people on campus and get a feel for what they are looking for, so that if she is asked to come, everyone can look forward to working together.
She said she told the search committee that her vision and plans for Chico reflect those at UMT also.
"Chico State has a reputation for striving in academics and for the quality of education in its undergraduate students," Muir said.
She also said her No. 1 concern if she were in the position of president would be California's inescapable budget problem. She said it's something on everyone's mind and she is ready to take it on.
"That challenge exists in Montana and everywhere in the country," she said. "So it wouldn't be a new challenge."
Muir said she would be excited to do things that are more of a "president's territory" -- things she doesn't do in her current position -- such as working with state leaders and donators to the university. She said she was selected about 12 years ago for a national program that trained people to be university presidents.
"Most people think I'm way overdue to be a president," she said.
Muir was put in a semi-spotlight in 2000 when she was named provost, becoming the first woman provost in the history of the University of Montana. However, she seemed modest about the recognition.
"The university treated me like that and I didn't do anything to make that happen," she said. "I think it's more of an achievement for Montana, but not for me. I've always been a woman."
It would be the same case if she were selected at Chico State, who has never had a woman as president. She would also become the fourth woman president for the CSU system's 23 campuses.
Overall, Muir said she is excited and that she wishes she knew more. She said she thinks people at UMT may be unhappy or surprised at the idea of her leaving, but that they've expected that possibility to come along.
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