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Regents Announce Top Candidates For UA Presidency

Sethuraman Panchanathan
(Photo courtesy of ASU)
Sethuraman Panchanathan

The Arizona Board of Regents announced two candidates for University of Arizona’s top job Tuesday.

Sethuraman Panchanathan is an Arizona State University vice president with a background in electrical and computer engineering.

Robert Clayton Robbins is president and CEO of the Texas Medical Center. He is trained as a cardiac surgeon.

“Both Drs. Panchanathan and Robbins are outstanding candidates and highly respected academic and research leaders,” ABOR Chair Greg Patterson said in a press release.

Current UA President Ann Weaver Hart announced last summer that she would not seek an extension to her contract, which expires in 2018.

The Board of Regents hired consultants R. William Funk & Associates, which reached out to more than 100 people before settling on two top candidates.

The board plans to interview both candidates next week and bring a finalist to UA for a campus tour March 8.

The board did not indicate whether the public would have a chance to provide feedback on the candidates in person.

Mariana Dale was an assistant digital editor and senior field corrsepondent at KJZZ from 2016 to 2019.