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N.D. (AP) – Ten people have applied to be interim chancellor of the North Dakota University System. Applicants include former state Commerce Commissioner Shane Goettle and Georgia Southwestern State University President Kendall Blanchard, who was a finalist for the chancellor position nine years ago.

The state Board of Higher Education decided earlier this month to buy out the remaining two years of embattled chancellor Hamid Shirvani’s contract after months of pressure from critics who questioned Shirvani’s leadership style. The board hired Bismarck State College President Larry Skogen to serve as acting interim chancellor for a short period while it searches for a longer-term interim replacement.

The job is interim because North Dakotans will vote on a measure next year that could change the state’s higher education structure.