BISMARCK, N.D. - The Dickinson State University presidential search committee on Monday recommended three finalists for the position of DSU president to the State Board of Higher Education.

The finalists are Joseph W. Bascuas, Ph.D.; Richard J. McCallum, Ph.D.; and Bruce W. Speck, Ph.D. The search committee interviewed five semifinalists, who also met with campus and community members during open forums over the past two weeks.

A brief description of each finalist follows.

Joseph W. Bascuas, Ph.D. - Bascuas served as president of Medaille College, Buffalo, N.Y., a private institution that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, from 2002 to 2006. He was responsible to a board of trustees for administration of a Master's II institution serving more than 3,000 students at a residential campus and two suburban accelerated learning campuses. Bascuas spent 12 years with Argosy Education Group (Argosy University), a for-profit institution with 13 campuses that offer undergraduate and graduate degrees. At Argosy, he served as founding campus president of the Atlanta campus while having additional senior-level administrative responsibilities. His academic credentials include a doctorate in clinical psychology in 1981 and a master's degree in psychology in 1972, both from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa., and a bachelor's degree in psychology from LaSalle University, Philadelphia, Pa., in 1970.

Richard McCallum, Ph.D. - McCallum is vice president for academic affairs at Missouri Southern State University, Joplin, Mo., a comprehensive regional university with 5,800 students. McCallum functions as a student affairs advocate and an ambassador for faculty concerns. He provides leadership for all academic policies and programs, including curriculum development and program accreditation, as well as faculty recruitment, selection, promotion, tenure and sabbaticals. McCallum's academic credentials include a doctorate in education in 1982 and a master's degree in education in 1976, both from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a bachelor's degree in education from Wayne State College, Wayne, Neb., in 1971.

Bruce Speck, Ph.D. - Speck is currently provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tenn., which is one of six universities in the Tennessee Board of Regents System. Speck is involved in financial management; fundraising and grant development; and hiring, mentoring and evaluating faculty. From 2001 to 2005, Speck served as vice president for academic affairs and tenured professor of English. His industry experience includes being a science writer at Norden Laboratories in Lincoln, Neb., from 1984 to 1986. Speck's academic credentials include a doctorate in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1984, a master's degree in English from Wayne State College, Wayne, Neb., in 1980 and a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colo., in 1975.

Finalists will be interviewed by the SBHE Dec. 5, 2007. The beginning date for the new president is subject to negotiation with the successful candidate. Dr. Lee Vickers, DSU president, announced his upcoming retirement in April 2007.