UMass President Martin T. Meehan will pick one of them to recommend to the Board of Trustees.

The search committee recommended Robert E. Johnson, president of Becker College; James P. Lentini, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at Oakland University in Michigan; and Philip K. Way, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania.

Three experienced educators have been selected as finalists to become the next chancellor of UMass Dartmouth, officials from the state university system said Wednesday.

“The committee conducted a comprehensive, transparent, and inclusive search that has resulted in three exceptional finalists,” Meehan said in a statement. “This is unquestionably the biggest decision affecting the future of the campus, and the committee has selected strong, experienced leaders who are qualified to take the university to new heights.”


The three finalists are seeking to succeed former UMass Dartmouth chancellor Divina Grossman, who stepped down in December 2015 after more than three years leading the system’s South Coast campus. The announcement came after Meehan told Grossman he would terminate her without cause by the end of the school year, amid concerns about the campus’s performance.

During Grossman’s tenure, enrollment and private fund-raising dropped and building maintenance grew. The school also cycled through top administrators during her leadership, including three provosts and as many fund-raising chiefs and chief financial officers, the Globe reported.

Former Muhlenberg College president Randy Helm has served as interim chancellor following Grossman’s departure.

UMass Dartmouth has an enrollment of about 8,600 students, with about 85 percent from Massachusetts. The campus plays a key role in the southeast region’s education, business, and cultural sectors.

Roy Greene can be reached at roy.greene@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @roygreene.