The University of Toledo’s presidential search committee on Thursday released the names of three finalists for the position, and whoever is picked will make history as either the first woman or first African-American to become UT’s president.

The three candidates who will be brought to campus for a final round of interviews are: Sharon Gaber, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Arkansas; Michele Wheatly, former provost and now professor and senior adviser to the president of West Virginia University, and Christopher Howard, president of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia.

They were selected after interviews with eight semifinalists on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Henry Hotel in Dearborn, Mich.

They are bidding to replace Dr. Lloyd Jacobs, who stepped down as president on June 30. Nagi Naganathan, dean of UT's college of engineering, has been serving as interim president. He was interviewed, but was not selected as a finalist.

Joseph H. Zerbey IV, chairman of UT’s board of trustees and The Blade’s president and general manager, said the search committee members each selected their top three candidates, and the trio with the most votes made the final cut. The committee is made up of 20 members, plus the chairman and vice chairman.

Mr. Zerbey said that the search committee was looking for candidates who were “transformational” and could manage change. He wants to see the profile of UT rise.

“The days of same old, same old are over,” he said.

The trio are the last standing in an undisclosed pool of applicants. The University of Toledo denied Blade requests on Thursday to review applications for all candidates to the position, saying those would be released today.

Mr. Zerbey reiterated his belief that the search process had been transparent.

Michele Wheatly

Before her current role at West Virginia University, Ms. Wheatly was provost and vice president for academic affairs. Prior to that, she was a professor, chairman of the department of biological sciences, and dean of the College of Science and Math at Wright State University. She was also a zoology professor at the University of Florida.

Ms. Wheatly earned her bachelor’s and doctorate degrees from Birmingham University in the United Kingdom, a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary, and executive training from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.

Ms. Wheatly, 58, a native of London who was naturalized an American citizen in 2003, said she has spent all of her professional career in North America since 1980 — at the University of Calgary, the University of Florida, Wright State University in Dayton, and West Virginia University. She said her tenure at Wright State, 1994 through 2009, made her knowledgeable about the Ohio system as well as the population that the Ohio universities serve.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be a finalist and I’m looking forward to the campus visit,” Ms. Wheatly said.

Ms. Wheatley was a candidate last fall for executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of Missouri.

She said she was in Toledo at least once before when what was then the Medical College of Ohio — now the University of Toledo Medical Center — hosted a meeting of the Ohio Physiological Society.

“I think I have a really balanced portfolio in terms of administrative experiences. I’m very excited about seeing the campus again,” Ms. Wheatly said.

“Clearly I’d like to build on the merger between the health sciences campus and the University of Toledo into the larger whole. It’s a great time for the health sciences and that’s an area in which I have a strong background,” Ms. Wheatly said.

She said she stepped down as provost at WVU after five years when new President Gordon Gee appointed a new provost last June.

In replacing her, Mr. Gee praised her “five years of extraordinary service to West Virginia University, especially co-leading our 2020 strategic planning process and for keeping those five goals focused and on track and, most recently, for leading our campus-wide reaccreditation efforts,” according to the State Journal newspaper of Charleston, W.Va.

Christopher Howard

Mr. Howard, 45, is the first African-American president of the private Hampden-Sydney College, one of the last three all-male colleges in the country. He has been in that role since 2009.

Previously, he served in administrative roles at the University of Oklahoma, and has worked for both the General Electric Co. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. He served in the Air Force, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was called to active duty in 2003 to Afghanistan, where he earned a Bronze Star.

Mr. Howard received his bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University, and his doctorate from Oxford University.

In an interview with The Blade Thursday, Mr. Howard said that all of higher education is facing challenges, whether they are an all-male private, liberal arts college, which Hampden-Sidney is, or a large university.

“If you look at my background, I’m bringing many experiences including a significant stint as vice president and professor and senior leader at the University of Oklahoma. If you look at the categorization of OU and UT, you see a lot of common ground,” Mr. Howard said.

If Mr. Howard is appointed UT president, he would be at least the second with experience in leadership at the Oklahoma. Former UT President Frank Horton was a former president of the University of Oklahoma.

“It’s an honor to serve as president of Hampden-Sydney College. The headwinds of higher education are blowing strong whether they’re private liberal arts colleges or state universities,” Mr. Howard said.

He said he visited Toledo recently. He said he feels “extraordinarily honored” to be made a finalist and “to discuss the prospects of being a part of a fine university that’s really on the move” … and to “engage in a great conversation with this community.”

Sharon Gaber

Ms. Gaber, 51, emailed a short statement to The Blade when called for comment.

“I am excited about the opportunities at the University of Toledo and think that my experiences will be helpful in continuing the positive trajectory of the university,” she said.

Ms. Gaber has been in her role at the University of Arkansas since 2009, and has previously held administrative positions at Auburn University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She received a bachelor’s degree from Occidental College, a master’s from the University of Southern California, and a doctorate in city and regional planning from Cornell University.

At Arkansas, she is also a professor of sociology. At Auburn, Ms. Gaber served as interim provost, after having been senior associate provost and associate provost for academic administration. She was as associate dean in the College of Architecture, Design, and Construction. Before Auburn University, she was a faculty member at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Ms. Gaber was a finalist last spring for president of the University of Memphis. She is a member of the board of Simmons First National Corp. bank of Arkansas.

‘Fair’ search process

Mr. Naganathan will return to his position as dean of the College of Engineering when a new president is selected. He said he thought the search process was fair, and he said he was willing to work with the board’s selection.

“Of course it is disappointing, but I am going to continue to work to serve this university,” he said.

Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins said he didn’t know any of the finalists, but said he hopes that they have the leadership abilities that Mr. Naganathan has. On Monday, at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Unity Celebration in Savage Hall on UT’s campus, the mayor noted the presence of Interim President Naganathan on the stage with him and said, “I hope we can soon say President Naganathan.”

On Thursday, Mr. Collins said he hopes the new president’s leadership values will be “consistent” with those of Mr. Naganathan.

“I understand the process and I truly appreciate the time and effort that went into the process of determining the final three,” Mr. Collins said. “I can say unequivocally that Dr. Nagi Naganathan, while serving as interim president, has created a very healthy environment on the campus, which is easily documented from students, faculty, and support staff.”

Kelsey O’Brien, a UT junior, said she liked Mr. Naganathan because of his visibility on campus. He’d go to sporting events and take pictures with students, she said.

“I’m kind of shocked,” she said. “I thought he was doing a pretty good job.”

Whoever is selected should address parking concerns on campus and end tuition hikes, Ms. O’Brien said, and he or she should be out and about the campus, not stuck behind a desk.

Larry Burns, vice president of external affairs for UT, said that the search committee interviewed a diverse pool of candidates, which included white men.

Clayton Notestine, president of student government and a member of the search committee, called Mr. Naganathan a “great interim president,” but declined to comment about whether he thought the interim deserved to be a finalist for the position. Mr. Notestine repeated Mr. Zerbey’s belief that UT needed a “transformational” leader.

“I think a lot of students have felt a sense of stagnation or a sense of always being in limbo,” he said. “A lot of students are looking for a significant change on campus.“

University officials said they hoped to schedule campus visits soon for the finalists, with plans to have a new president in place by next academic year. The ultimate decision on who will fill the position will be the board of trustees.

Contact Tom Troy: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058 or on Twitter @TomFTroy.

First Published January 23, 2015, 5:00 a.m.