The search for a new president at Boise State University is expected to head down to the wire Wednesday and Thursday.

The State Board of Education will meet behind closed doors Wednesday morning to interview three finalists for the job. The board will hold another closed executive session at 8 a.m. Thursday. The board will meet in open session at 11 a.m. Thursday, and is likely to vote on the hire at that time, State Board spokesman Mike Keckler said Monday.

The three finalists are James Lentini, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, Oakland University, Rochester, Mich.; Kevin Reynolds, vice president for finance and administration, Portland State University, Portland, Ore.; and Daniel Weeks, president and vice chancellor, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, B.C.

These finalists were selected from a field of five candidates who visited the campus and met with faculty and students in April.

The new president will succeed Bob Kustra, Boise State’s president since 2003. Kustra is retiring June 30.

Some community leaders have quietly questioned the search process, saying the pool of finalists was neither strong enough nor deep enough to find a suitable successor for Kustra, Dana Oland of the Idaho Statesman reported Saturday. State Board President Linda Clark defended the process.

“We take the concerns seriously,” Clark told Oland. “But it’s important to see the process through.”

The executive sessions and Thursday’s open meeting will be held at the Stueckle Sky Center at Boise State’s Albertson Stadium.