Winona State University President Scott Olson is one of two finalists to be the next chancellor of the Minnesota State college and university system.
Olson and Tonja Johnson, the University of Alabama System senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, will interview with select system leaders later this week.
After that, back-to-back public forums with the candidates will be held from 9 to 11:15 a.m. Wednesday at the system office in St. Paul, with Johnson going first.
The Board of Trustees is expected to name the next chancellor May 9.
Devinder Malhotra, the former provost of St. Cloud State University, came out of retirement in 2017 to become interim chancellor following a failed national search. He stayed on without the interim tag a year later after a second failed search but is retiring again this summer.
The system is made up of 26 state colleges and seven universities, including Winona State.
The latest search yielded 30 applicants, nine of whom were chosen for interviews last month.
