Either out of tremendous self-confidence or respect for a valuable University of Michigan tradition, the University has long given deference to internal candidates for top administrative posts.

Allegiance to that custom, which for a number of possible reasons University President Mary Sue Coleman, a relative newcomer to the institution, did not follow when selecting a new provost, has caused concern in University circles over the recent search process leading to the selection of Coleman's right-hand officer.

In January, the University announced the selection of the well-regarded University of Texas administrator Teresa Sullivan to be the next provost and vice president for academic affairs.

For the first time in University history, neither the president nor the provost will be long-time Wolverines. Sullivan will also be the first external candidate chosen to be provost since James P. Adams in 1948, when the position entailed less authority.

To some observers, this turn of events may merely be a coincidence. But to others it marks a departure from University tradition and an acceptance of a troubling national trend turning the field of university administration into its own profession, separate from the faculty.

According to a number of individuals familiar with the search process, no internal candidates made it onto the list of finalists given to Coleman by the head of the provost search advisory committee, James Jackson, even though the larger list of finalists the committee members developed included internal candidates.

In addition, individuals who spoke with The Michigan Daily on the condition of anonymity because of the secrecy surrounding the search said some of the strongest internal candidates withdrew from the process because they felt they would not be selected.

This has led to intense speculation that Coleman influenced the search process out of a desire to select an external candidate.

Coleman told the Daily that it is "absolutely not true" that she told Jackson she expected the search process to culminate in the selection of an external candidate.

But presumably Coleman is too adept at University politics to be so blunt. The steering was much subtler than that, one person close to the search told the Daily.

That Coleman wanted an external candidate and got one is the prevailing attitude among some knowledgeable people on campus.

In an e-mail interview, Coleman said she did not ask Jackson to encourage internal candidates to withdraw from the process, nor did she take any other actions to influence the search in a way that would have discriminated against the internal candidates.

"That would have been unfair to the candidates, the integrity of the search process, and to the search committee itself," she wrote.

In his forthcoming book examining presidential leadership, former University President James Duderstadt chimes in on a national debate that puts the local one into context.

He writes about the increasing professional character of university administrators, which he says leads to "institution hopping" and large compensation packages that can detach the president from the rest of the faculty.

He also writes that this trend can prevent university presidents from understanding "the distinctive institutional saga of their university." He goes on to say that there is evidence "to suggest that leaders without the experience or appreciation for 'the business' of an organization can get their organization into real trouble, threatening its very survival."

On the other hand, individuals may also gain valuable administrative experience and insight at other institutions, which they can bring to their new posts.

At a meeting of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs earlier this month, Sullivan said having an external provost is not the typical practice for research universities or for the University: "Having an outside provost is not such a usual thing," she said. "It's a high-risk operation for you and for me."

In December, when discussing her transition from a professor to an administrator, Coleman told the Daily that she views her time as an administrator like a second career.

And both Andrea Fischer Newman, the chair of the University Board of Regents, and Jackson told the Daily that it is more important to find the best candidate in the nation than to choose an internal candidate with more knowledge of the University.

Jackson also cited Sullivan's "extensive administrative experience" when explaining why she was chosen.

Coleman most likely did not rule out an inside candidate from the outset, but she also made it clear that she did not place any preference on an internal candidate. While previous provost searches were national searches, they always ended with the selection of an internal candidate, even when the president was groomed at the University.