Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux are among 10 semifinalists vying to become the next president of Florida Atlantic University.
A university search committee on Monday came up with the list after getting more than 60 applications.
The semifinalists will be interviewed later this week. University trustees are expected to name a president on Jan. 17.
If Atwater is chosen it will cause a political scramble since Atwater was expected to easily win re-election this fall. Atwater, whose children attended FAU, announced Saturday he was jumping into the race for the job.
The other eight semifinalists include top university officials from across the nation including deans, vice presidents and professors from schools such as Clemson University, University of North Carolina, and Purdue University.
