CEDAR FALLS -- A Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania administrator will be the first of four executive vice president and provost candidates to visit the University of Northern Iowa campus this month.

James Mackin, Bloomburg's provost and vice president for academic affairs, will be on campus Nov. 3-4 for interviews and a public forum. The two-day process will include meetings with students and staff as well as a question and answer session that is open to everyone.

The remaining candidates will be announced individually prior to their campus interview between now and Nov. 17.

Catherine Palczewski, chairwoman of the search committee and a professor of communication studies, said Mackin's list of accomplishments, including his work in strategic planning and outcomes assessment, would be especially beneficial to UNI.

"The key thing is he is a sitting provost so he has experience administering at that level at a comprehensive master's institution, which is how UNI would be categorized," Palczewski said.

Mackin, 53, was hired at Bloomsburg in 2005. Prior to that, he served as associate provost at Clayton State University, dean of University College and special assistant to the president for educational and academic development at Prairie View A&M University. Bloomsburg enrolls about 8,800 students, and Mackin oversees a $52 million budget. As provost, he is responsible for the development and implementation of academic programs, curricula and policy making.

Mackin has also led several initiatives on the campus, including an enrollment management plan that guides student recruitment and retention activities and the establishment of transfer equivalencies with 14 community colleges and 13 universities in the Pennsylvania system. UNI already boasts transfer agreements with many community colleges and universities, but is working to increase those partnerships.

"The match between my previous experiences and the most critical needs at UNI right now are spot on," Mackin said.

Mackin helped bring the Frederick Douglass Scholars Program to the Bloomsburg campus. The program helps new faculty members from "historically underrepresented populations" develop their professional skills.

But, Mackin said what may not be detailed on his curriculum vitae is his dedication to his work.

"If selected, I will bring a lot of energy to the job. I work a lot," he said. "They can count on me putting that energy into the university."

President Benjamin Allen said the new provost should be named by the end of the year. A start date has not yet been determined.

Palczewski would not say how many applications they received for this position but did say the candidate pool was "deep and diverse." The committee reviewed each application forwarded to them by the search firm and then conducted "airport interviews" with several candidates. From there the pool was narrowed to the final four.

The new executive vice president and provost will replace James Lubker, who has served in an interim position since 2005, when Aaron Podolefsky left UNI to become the president of the University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Mo.

Mackin will participate in a question and answer forum from 3 to 4:15 p.m. Monday in Lang Hall Auditorium on the UNI campus in Cedar Falls.

Contact Emily Christensen at (319) 291-1570 or emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.