MADISON, Wis. -- University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents President Mark Bradley praised John Wiley's accomplishments as UW-Madison chancellor and said Friday that a nationwide search will be launched for Wiley's successor.

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Bradley said a search and screening committee will be created to find a small number of qualified candidates. Then, a Board of Regents selection committee will make a final recommendation, which will then be turned over to the full board for approval.

Bradley said the selection process will probably take about six months.

"There are a finite number of people who can bring to the organization the total package. In higher education, that's not only academic credentials that everyone that would respect, that's administrative leadership, budgeting expertise, external relations," Bradley said.

While the search for the next chancellor will be national in scope, UW-Madison's recent administrative success has come from within, from Donna Shalala's hiring in 1988, to David Ward in 1993 and to Wiley in 2001.

"But that continuity of leadership, whether in private industry or in public education, people just covet that and that has been a huge benefit to this campus," Bradley said.

Whether the next chancellor is a national candidate or is selected from within, with Wiley's departure effective next August, the timeline is clear.

"I would like to see a new chancellor in place sometime this summer, (to) get acclimated to the campus (and) get accustomed to the leadership team that's in place and be able to be ready for the 40,000-some students that come back in September," Bradley said.

Bradley said the process is a lot like hiring a CEO for a major corporation. UW-Madison raised $2 billion in private donations during Wiley's tenure, WISC-TV reported.