The Casper College board of trustees has named the four finalists for president, spokeswoman Lisa Icenogle said Monday.

They are Jimmie Bruce, Darren Divine, James "Steve" Rook, and Daniel Bingham.

Susan Miller, head of the search committee, said the board met in executive session on Friday to look at the finalists who were evaluated by a group of 13 individuals on campus and a community member.

Applications came from candidates from across the United States, and there probably were two from Wyoming, Miller said.

"We had an excess (in the) high 40s of applications when we started," she said. "We're now down to a handful or a little more of individuals that we're considering."

Here are the credentials of the finalists, according to their resumes or websites of the schools where they currently serve:

  • Bruce is vice president of academics at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio, Texas. He was a faculty member and administrator for 11 years at Elizabethtown (Ky.) Community College. Bruce earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, a master's degree in organizational communication and a bachelor's degree in public relations, both from Western Kentucky University at Bowling Green.
  • Divine is vice president of academic affairs at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. He joined the college's faculty as a biology professor in 2000. He earned a doctorate in biological science from the University of Nevada, a master's degree in wildlife science and a bachelor's degree in biology, both from the University of New Mexico.
  • Rook is vice president of academic and student affairs at Rich Mountain Community College in Mena, Ark. He earned a doctorate in education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, a master's degree in education from Eastern Illinois University at Charleston, and a bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
  • Bingham is dean and CEO of Helena College - University of Montana. He has held administrative and faculty positions at the Salt Lake Community College, University of Texas at Austin, and several community colleges in Arizona. He earned a doctorate at the University of Texas, a master's degree in educational leadership and a bachelor's degree in community college teaching, both from Northern Arizona University.

With the naming of the finalists, the college will host them for a closer look later this month.

"Our plan is to have those candidates come approximately the week of March 23rd, and sometime by mid to late April we expect to be able to announce who that candidate is," Miller said.

The new president will replace Walter Nolte, who announced his resignation last year and will formally step down this summer.

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