California State University, Sacramento, has narrowed the search for a new business school dean to six sitting or former deans from universities outside of the capital region and mostly outside California.

Candidate interviews are scheduled for early next month and a new dean of the College of Business Administration could be named as early as March 22, said Ric Brown, vice president for academic affairs. The six candidates are:

* Luis Maria R. Calingo, dean of the College of Business Administration at CSU Long Beach.

* Yar M. Ebadi, dean of the College of Business Administration at Kansas State University.

* John P. Kohl, professor of management and former dean of the College of Business Administration at Texas A&M International University.

* Philip J. Romero, dean of the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon.

* Bill Schwartz, dean of the School of Business and Economics at Indiana University South Bend.

* Sanjay B. Varshney, associate professor of finance and former dean of the School of Management at the State University of New York Institute of Technology.

Brown said there was no particular preference for out-of-area candidates and that experience as a dean wasn't a requirement, though the latter was welcomed.

"They'll have to learn the culture of Sacramento State, a large campus in a capital city, but they won't have to learn how to be a dean of business," Brown said. "There will be less of a learning curve, and you've got a known quantity in terms of experience."

CSUS officials say they're looking for a dean who can foster partnerships in the regional business and academic communities, work cooperatively with the faculty and raise outside funds.

Brown said salary is negotiable and there's no specific range. He noted that, across the CSU system, deans earn an average of $134,000, with salaries ranging from $113,700 to $163,200.

He said he assumed many of the applicants were attracted to the post largely because CSUS, with a new president and new vice president of academic affairs, "is an opportunity for a new dean to come into a new administrative and academic setting."

Brown also credited the business school's reputation, its mix of new and experienced faculty members, and even the relatively low home prices here compared with coastal California.

The business school's former dean, Felicenne H. Ramey, had served as an associate dean of CSUS's business school prior to being named dean in 1997. Widely praised on and off campus, Ramey announced her retirement in July. Since then, Richard Guarino has led the department as associate dean in charge.

The committee looking for Ramey's replacement is made up of five faculty members, a CSU staff member, an administrator and a business community member. Brown said he's asked the committee for three unranked recommendations following the interviews. Brown will then consult with CSUS President Alexander Gonzalez for the final pick.

Dennis Gardemeyer, co-owner of the Northern California agribusiness Zuckerman Heritage and chair of an advisory board to the business college, said he hopes the school's next dean shares Ramey's strengths in effective leadership and in building relationships with the business community.

"A dean has to have a good vision, has to be able to communicate that to the professors, and have them buy into that vision and have them want to oar in the same direction and not feel threatened," said Gardemeyer, a 1971 CSUS business grad. "The last dean was able to do that. Prior deans weren't."