A newly formed advisory committee has begun its search for a new chancellor for the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The 23-member search advisory committee will be chaired by Klaus Keil, planetary scientist of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, and co-chaired by Mark Fukunaga, regent emeritus and chief executive officer of Servco Pacific Inc.

A committee made up of faculty and staff, deans, students, various department heads, alumni and community leaders held its first meeting Friday at College Hill.

Mainland-based executive search firm Isaacson, Miller will screen applicants.

"The search advisory committee and the search firm will have to spread our net as wide as possible and work very hard so we get as many qualified individuals from across the country, from Hawaii and from elsewhere as possible," Keil said during a news conference Friday at Bachman Hall.

Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw, 67, in August announced her decision to step down when her five-year appointment ends next summer.

At the news briefing, UH President M.R.C. Greenwood said the annual salary for the next chancellor hasn’t been determined, and several factors will be considered including a candidate’s qualifications and salary expectations. The salary, however, is expected to be higher than Hinshaw’s $337,762 this year.

According to Greenwood, the national median salary for a chancellor’s position is $425,700. "We would strive to be toward the median of that or slightly above," she said. "Right now we’re actually substantially below the median."

The length of the next chancellor’s appointment is also negotiable and can range from three to seven years, she said.

The description of the job will be posted on publications and websites that include the Chronicle of Higher Education and a UH Web page to provide current information on the search process.

The committee will begin making its selection at the beginning of next year. Members will present a list of candidates to Greenwood in March or April. From there, finalists will be invited to visit the campus.

Greenwood could submit her recommendation to the Board of Regents by April or May.

More information on the search is available at www.manoa.hawaii.edu/executivesearch.