Eastern Washington University has named three finalists to replace departed President Stephen Jordan, the school announced Tuesday.

The finalists are provosts, or chief academic officers, at their respective schools – Western Washington University, the University of Texas-Pan American, and Bowling Green State University.

Each candidate will spend two days at Eastern later this month and in early December, with public forums in Cheney and Spokane, EWU said.

“We’ve got three great candidates,” said Gordon Budke, chairman of the search committee and a member of the EWU Board of Trustees. “We had lots and lots of people who were either nominated or recommended or applied for the job.”

The finalists are:

Rodolfo Arevalo, vice president for academic affairs and provost of the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, Texas;

Dr. Andrew Bodman, vice president for academic affairs and provost of Western Washington University in Bellingham;

And Dr. John William Folkins, vice president for academic affairs and provost of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.

The finalists were chosen from a pool of semifinalists interviewed last week by the presidential search advisory committee, which will make recommendations to the Board of Trustees on the hiring. The committee is made up of trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni, among others.

The finalists will visit Cheney and Spokane over the next several weeks, and the Board of Trustees hopes to have someone hired by Christmas, Budke said. The new president would likely start by July 1, 2006, if not sooner, he said.

Arevalo has been provost and vice president for academic affairs at the UTPA for seven years, and he spent 18 years before that working in the California State university system as a faculty member and administrator. In his letter of application, he cited his work on implementing programs to help prevent students from dropping out and to encourage faculty to do more research and grant development.

He earned a Ph.D. in educational administration at the University of Michigan in 1973, as well as a master’s there in social work administration. He earned his bachelor’s degree at UTPA.

Arevalo is also a candidate for the provost’s job at Metro State College of Denver – where former EWU president Jordan is now in charge.

Bodman’s been the provost at Western Washington since 1999, preceded by 21 years at the University of Vermont as a faculty member, department chairman and vice provost, according to his letter of application. His letter cited his work on improving Western’s general education requirements, managing enrollments and diversity efforts.

Bodman earned his Ph.D. in geography at Ohio State University, where he also earned his master’s. His undergraduate degree and another master’s are from Cambridge University

Folkins has been at Bowling Green for five years and worked 23 years at the University of Iowa before that, including seven years as associate provost. In his letter of application, he noted his work on university strategic planning efforts and budget administration, as well as increasing enrollments.

He earned a doctorate in speech and hearing sciences at the University of Washington. He earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in speech at the University of Redlands in California.