The search for a new vice chancellor of student affairs has narrowed down to five applicants. The names of the five applicants are expected to be released this week.

“We are waiting on Knoxville and then we will release the names,” search committee chairman and Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration, Al Hooten said.

For the last two weeks, the search committee has been conducting reference checks on the previous remaining nine applicants. After the reference checks were completed, the committee narrowed the applicant pool down to five people.

The Pacer learned earlier that the five remaining people chosen by the committee have to be approved by officials at the University of Tennessee for the search process to continue.

Within the next few weeks, the search committee will invite all five of the remaining applicants to UTM for interviews. It is expected that the search committee will host campus forums for students, faculty and staff to attend and ask questions of the remaining applicants.