A TOUGH JOB A?search committee has narrowed its choices down to four applicants for the job of chancellor of the North Dakota University System. The final four includes Nebraska education administrator Marshall Hill, California university president Hamid Shirvani, Missouri university administrator Warren Wray, and Fargo state senator Tim Flakoll. The Board of Higher Education will make its choice on March 13. We hope whoever is chosen accepts the position with his eyes wide open. There is much work ahead for the new chancellor, who will replace the retiring William Goetz in August. The chancellor oversees the state's 11 universities, and even as the state's economy has grown in recent years, the challenges facing the university system have grown, too. Some are good problems to have, with schools experiencing growth in enrollment and new buildings and facilities being built. Other issues facing the chancellor are more difficult, led by the recent problems at Dickinson?State University, which has been rocked by allegations of falsifying enrollment figures and awarding some 400 degrees to foreign students who did not earn them. Fixing Dickinson's problems and restoring the public's trust in that university will be a daunting task, and it is just one challenge facing the new chancellor. Whoever is chosen must be ready for that challenge.
MORE MONEY Reader's Digest announced late last week the winners of its We Hear You America campaign, selecting 18 communities across the country to receive funding awards. Minot finished third in the voting, winning $25,000. Lake City, Iowa, finished first, collecting $50,000. The goal of the contest is to provide funding and support for community projects and civic initiatives. We're not sure what the money will be used for, but we thank Reader's Digest for organizing the contest, and we thank everyone who voted online for Minot.