Shiame Okunor said he thinks he's done all he can as director for the African-American Studies Department.
"The program is at the stage where it's time for someone else to pick it up and take it to new heights," he said.
Okunor will step down as director of the department in the fall after almost 20 years in the position.
"I will still be at the University teaching," he said. "That doesn't carry the same punch as retiring would, but I don't want to retire so suddenly."
The four candidates vying to replace Okunor will be interviewed this month.
Vera Norwood, chair of the search committee, said the interview process is two days long and includes presentations by candidates on their teachings and research.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"The candidates will also have an interview with the search committee and the relevant departments, should they be interested in a joint appointment in a department," she said.
The candidates will meet with the faculty and staff of the African-American Studies Department and African-American Student Services for interviews, she said.
"We want to find someone who's got strengths in building programs and experience in African-American studies," she said. "Particularly, in African-American experience in the West and connections in Latin America."
Laurie Mellas-Ramirez, UNM spokeswoman, said the candidates will have big shoes to fill.
"Shiame's going to be hard to replace," she said. "The students love him."
Norwood said she can't reveal how many people applied for the position, but the committee chose the best four candidates possible.
"We are very excited about this pool of candidates," she said.
Norwood said she couldn't provide specific information about each candidate, but some details were provided in a news release.
* Cynthia Young gave a presentation at UNM on Friday regarding African-American cinema in the 1970s. Young is an assistant professor in the department of English and the American Studies and Ethnicity program at the University of Southern California. She was the second candidate to be interviewed at UNM, according to the release.
* Finnie Coleman was the first. Coleman is an assistant professor of English at Texas A&M University. Coleman visited UNM in late January, according to the release, and gave a research lecture on eradication of gender inequity and violence in African American communities.
* Darryl Thomas, from the State University of New York, is an associate professor in the departments of Africana Studies and Political Science and Philosophy, according to the release. He will be at UNM on Thursday to present a lecture exploring "literature associated with Africana studies, foreign policy, world politics and race," the release stated.
* William Darity is the director of the Institute of African-American Research at the University of North Carolina. According to the release, his lecture will examine the "evidence of black-white differences in net worth, the causes of disparities and the implications for the case of reparations for African-Americans." He will visit UNM on Feb. 21.
The final step in the interviewing process, Norwood said, is a public presentation and reception with members of the community.
"There will be public presentations throughout the month," she said. "We encourage everyone to attend."
Reed Dasenbrock, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, gets the final say on who will receive the position, Norwood said.
She said the date when the director is chosen has yet to be determined.
