The University of Minnesota has four candidates to be the next executive vice president and provost.

The candidates, yet to be named, will participate in public forums on campus in the coming weeks kicking off on Sept. 24, according to an email sent by President Joan Gabel to the University community Tuesday.

Information about each candidate will be released the day before their respective public forum and include their name, a photo and their curriculum vitae, a more comprehensive version of a resume commonly used in academia.

The announcement of candidates and public forums introducing them to the University community comes after a monthslong search for the next provost, the second highest-ranking position at the University. 

Karen Hanson, who currently holds the role, announced she would step down from the job last December. She agreed to stay on, after taking a leave of absence, to provide stability as the University welcomed Gabel as its new president. Hanson has been with the University since 2012.

Unlike the search process that tapped Gabel as the University’s 17th president, the University will reveal the identity of multiple candidates and hold interviews with “numerous stakeholder groups” in addition to the forums, the email said.

Hosted in Northrop Auditorium, the forums will take place on Sept. 24 and Oct. 2, with two more on Oct. 7. They will all be streamed online.

Gabel also updated the campus community on efforts to create the next systemwide strategic plan, a process that began before former President Eric Kaler announced he would step down in July 2018.

Regents have expressed a desire to have a systemwide strategic plan since before Gabel took over, and emphasized its importance at the regents retreat in July.

Looking to center the system’s focus around strategic commitments, Gabel’s email said she wants to have an “extensive consultation with the University community and beyond this fall.” Commitments suggested in the email cover a variety of topics such as students, discovery, a welcoming community and fiscal stewardship.

After presenting the various commitments at the December Board of Regents meeting, Gabel will direct senior leaders to establish working groups deriving goals and objectives to meet those commitments, according to the email. The University hopes to complete this work by next June.

“I welcome your participation in these important initiatives, and thank you for all you do for the University of Minnesota,” Gabel said in the email.