(BIVN) – The plan to find the next chancellor of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo by the end of the fall has been delayed.

The chancellor search is now expected to be completed by the end of 2018, UH officials announced on Tuesday, with the new leader in place in spring 2019. The initial goal of the search committee, formed in December 2017, was to have the new chancellor by fall 2018.

“The timeline encountered a setback with an unexpected delay in finalizing an agreement with a professional search firm, which is now projected to be place by early summer,” the university said in a media release.

“As the semester comes to a close, and in consultation with the search committee, we are backing off this aggressive schedule to ensure that the search firm is onboard and fully engaged in assisting us identify the best possible candidates,” said UH President David Lassner. “As our search continues, I appreciate the leadership of Interim Chancellor Marcia Sakai during this current academic year. I will also be making a recommendation to the Board of Regents to continue her appointment as interim chancellor until the new chancellor begins.”

According to UH:

Applications will continue to be accepted through the summer with the finalists conducting campus visits in fall 2018. This will ensure full campus participation before a selection is made. Lassner will receive input from the committee and campus and community stakeholders and will then present a recommendation to the Board of Regents. More information and a complete position description can be found on the UH Hilo Chancellor search website.

The 16-member search committee is comprised of faculty, staff, students and community members and is co-chaired by Farrah-Marie Gomes, UH Hilo vice chancellor for student affairs, and Vassilis Syrmos, UH System vice president for research and innovation.