CHICAGO-A new University chancellor has been selected and an announcement could come sometime this week, University sources said.

A source said the list had been whittled down to four candidates by Saturday, one of whom is Interim Chancellor Richard Herman.

The sources either did not know or would not comment on who the new chancellor was.

The Board of Trustees held a meeting behind closed doors Saturday at the University Club in downtown Chicago to interview finalists for the job. Reporters were not allowed in the building during the meeting, which was officially held to discuss an “employment matter.”

Herman has served as interim chancellor since July 2004, after Nancy Cantor stepped down to become president of Syracuse University.

University spokesman Tom Hardy refused to comment on the meeting, saying it was University policy not to comment on closed sessions of the Board of Trustees.

“(University President Joseph B. White) has said he expects the decision will be made in April, and this is April,” Hardy said. “I anticipate they’ll have a decision made sometime this month, and certain before their next meeting, May 19.”

University Professor James Anderson led a 15-member search committee that worked with Bill Funk of Korn/Ferry International, a Los Angeles executive recruitment firm, to select the finalists that were sent to White and the Board of Trustees.

The search committee was charged with constructing a list of four to six possible replacements. The list of candidates would then be given to White, who will interview each individual and present the list to the Board of Trustees, which will review each candidate. White can recommend a candidate, but the board will make the final decision.

As outlined by the Senate Executive Committee, the search committee is composed of 15 members, including nine faculty, three students, a dean or director, an academic professional and one staff member.

Trustees refused to comment as they were ushered out of the University Club to their cars Saturday night.