The second of three Cal State Bakersfield presidential candidates visited the campus Wednesday, answering questions about the future of Kern's largest public university.

Horace Mitchell, vice chancellor of business and administrative services at the University of California, Berkeley, met with reporters, students and staff to answer many of the same questions put to candidate Ephraim Smith the day before.

G. Timothy Haight, dean of the college of business and economics at Cal State Los Angeles, will be on campus today.

Smith is vice president for academic affairs at Cal State Fullerton.

A new president will be chosen by California State University trustees next week.

Mitchell said he's been told by some community members that going from Division II to the more competitive Division I sports program would inspire more private donations to the university. He said he supported the idea but wanted to ensure gender equity in sports programs and that the money was there to support it.

Mitchell said moving a university's status from good to excellent is heavily dependent on getting private donations for growth.

"A lot of people use athletics as a window into the university," Mitchell said.

Smith said Tuesday he was interested in entering Division I, too.

Mitchell said he would work to build relationships in the community and with faculty. He said he would be in Bakersfield for the long term.

"My wife and I made a couple visits here and looked at the community and the university. We concluded that there is great potential here," Mitchell said. "I absolutely see it as a major growth university. The potential is extraordinary."

Mitchell is a professor of African-American studies at UC Berkeley and has been a vice chancellor there since 1995. His degrees are all from Washington University in St. Louis. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology, master's in counseling and a doctorate in counseling psychology.

A presidential search team with representatives from faculty, staff, the board of trustees and the community recommended the three candidates after reviewing applications. The full board of CSU trustees will interview the three finalists Monday and announce the new president later next week.

Current Cal State Bakersfield President Tomás Arciniega will retire at the end of June after 21 years as president. He is earning $204,156 annually, a salary he'll keep for another year while doing special projects for Chancellor Charles Reed.

This school year he also received a $23,004 housing allowance and a $750 monthly car allowance.

The new president's salary will be set at or before the trustees' July board meeting.