Now that the University administration has named Lisa Tedesco, the University"s executive vice president and secretary, as the interim provost, the search for Nancy Cantor"s permanent successor can begin. Cantor is now chancellor of the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

And finding the next person to fill the University"s second most powerful position and top academic office will be one of President Lee Bollinger"s most important personnel decisions of his tenure.

Cantor was both an experienced administrator and was respected among her academic peers in her specialty of psychology. It is important that administrators don"t lose touch with their roots in higher education. When the provost search committee evaluates candidates, academic record and accomplishments should be top criteria.

Having institutional knowledge is an important requirement for the next provost, taking the University"s size and complexity into consideration. Before taking over as provost, Cantor was dean of the Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

Although having an outside person come in as provost would not be the end of the world, the institutional knowledge that comes from someone already familiar with the University is preferred.

Administrators who are unfamiliar with the University before coming here may endanger academic traditions, by trying to impose an outside or skewed conception of what the University should be.

Bollinger owes at least part of his success in Ann Arbor to his prior tenure as dean of the Law School. Intimate knowledge of University students, faculty and staff helped make Bollinger the best man for the president"s post.

The position of provost is also a stepping stone to better and brighter horizons in higher education. Before becoming University president, James Duderstadt was provost. Bollinger was provost of Dartmouth College before returning to Ann Arbor as president. And former provost Bernard Machen went on to become president of the University of Utah.

In its final selection, the search committee will not just fill the University"s top academic post, but will most likely select a future college president.

The final choice must be a wise one.