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Also the College of Dentistry Dean, Johnsen, whose appointment as chairman signaled the restart of the year-old search to replace now Cornell University President David Skorton, would not specify how many names the list included.

"I am a little nervous to go in that direction," Johnsen said.

When the second presidential search committee met Friday, they tried to pin down the language of a solicitation letter that would go to each name on the list.

The person could then respond and indicate if they would like to be discussed in an executive session.

Iowa code requires job candidates to request that their name be discussed privately, instead of publicly, before a search committee can enter closed session to evaluate them.

Johnsen hopes to get enough responses to warrant an executive session when the search committee meets Feb. 23.

Confidentiality for candidates has been a tenuous subject dating back to the initial presidential search committee, which disbanded Nov. 17 after seven months and $216,000 when six regents voted down four finalists.

Traditionally, the larger candidate pool remains private before a handful of finalists attend public on-campus interviews.

However, some say the national trend is sliding toward candidate privacy to attract the best possible people. Others say that the pluses of on-campus interviews are the most important factors.

This committee has yet to decide on this matter.

Another issue discussed by the 13-person committee Friday was a continued desire for an undergraduate student on the committee. Currently, graduate student Sarah Vigmostad is the loan student representative. Vigmostad suggested, short of naming an undergraduate, forming a student advisory panel.

Because graduate and undergraduate student governments recently split, there has been increased pressure for an undergraduate voice.

Paul Rothman from the department of internal medicine said colleagues at University Hospitals and the Carver College of Medicine also expressed concern that they did not have enough representation.

"A lot more people want to be on the committee than there is room," Johnsen said. "But regents ultimately decide the size of the committee."

Johnsen will update the search process at the Iowa state Board of Regents meeting Tuesday in Ames.