The search for a dean for the College of Sciences continues Thursday with a department chair from the University of Northern Iowa, visiting for on-campus interviews.

The third of four candidates interviewing for the position, Philip Suckling, has been a professor as well as the head of the department of geography at the University of Northern Iowa since 1991. His teaching duties include world geography, climatology, natural hazards and disasters and Canadian studies.

Suckling began his career at Brandon University in 1977 as an assistant professor of geography. Two years later, 1979, he moved to the University of Georgia and held the same position until he became an associate professor at the university in 1983.

While moving up the latter to become a professor at the university, Suckling received two teaching excellence awards. He was a recipient of the Special Sandy Beaver Teaching Award in 1985, and was appointed to a three-year term under the General Sandy Beaver Teaching chaired professorship in 1988.

Suckling graduated Summa Cum Laude from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in 1973 with a bachelor’s in science, with honors.

In 1974, Suckling received his master’s in science at the same university, and three years later he earned his doctorate at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Suckling will interview with members of various campus groups Thursday. The first session is with the search committee. The candidate will move to interviews with the deans and associate deans, the College of Science chairs, the science dean’s office staff and then the university’s academic councils.

Students, faculty and staff may meet Suckling at his open-session interview at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the Library Conference Room 4440 of Booth Library.

Suckling will meet for interviews again on Friday with the search committee and Blair Lord, vice president for academic affairs. Suckling’s visit concludes Friday with tour of the campus and community.

The dean search committee will meet with its final candidate, Mary Ann Hanner, on Feb. 27. Hanner is currently the acting dean of the College of Sciences.

She replaced Lida Wall, who left the position in order to become interim vice president for academic affairs until Lord was hired last summer. Wall retired after Lord was hired.