CARBONDALE - Southern Illinois University Carbondale may go it alone in the search for its next chancellor.

While nothing has been made official yet, SIU President Glenn Poshard said Tuesday the university may avoid hiring an outside firm to aid in the search.

The university spent $150,000 on a search last year that resulted in the hiring of Fernando Treviño, who was removed from his position in March.

"We want to be very deliberate on this search," Poshard said. "We want to gather a whole pool of candidates before we form a committee and get started."

The pooling of prospective candidates will begin immediately and a full-time chancellor, the university's fifth since 2006, will hopefully be in place by the fall semester of 2010, Poshard said.

In the meantime, acting Chancellor Samuel Goldman will continue to serve in the position.

"I think he understands the issues here, both from his professorial tenure on campus and his time on the Board of Trustees," Poshard said of Goldman, who assumed the Carbondale campus' top position in April.

Goldman was not available for comment Tuesday.

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