By the end of the day Friday, the North Dakota Humanities Council should have a new executive director.

Council members gather today in Bismarck for their regularly scheduled meeting and will then meet Friday to interview three finalists for the position.

This is new ground for the council, selecting a director. One man - Ev Albers - held the position from its creation in 1973 until his death in April.

The council was deliberate in its search for a replacement. Board members said this summer that they wanted to wait until they found someone who could offer the leadership Albers did.

The applicants have been whittled to three: Janet F. Daley, D.J. Jensen and David R. Solheim.

Daley is a freelance editor and writer from Bismarck, whose most recent work includes serving as managing editor for "A Vast and Open Plain: The Writings of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806," which was edited by Clay Jenkinson. From 1993 to 2002, she was an editor and historian for the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

Daley earned a master of arts in English and a bachelor of arts in English from the University of North Dakota.

Jensen, who lives in St. Paul, Minn., is founder and CEO of the National Consortium for Community-University Partnerships, an organization designed to help advance community development and volunteerism. From 1996 to 1999, he was associate director in charge of domestic programs for the Peace Corps in Washington, D.C.

An Oakes native, Jensen earned a master of arts degree in philosophy from Brown University and a master of arts in art history from Temple University. He earned a bachelor of arts in philosophy from Hamline University in St. Paul.

Solheim is a professor of English at Dickinson State University and a published poet. This year, he is associate Poet Laureate of North Dakota. Solheim's most recent work will be published shortly by Buffalo Commons Press. He has taught English and poetry since 1969.

Solheim earned a Ph.D. in English from the University of Denver and a master of arts degree in English from Stanford University. He earned a bachelor of arts in English from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn.

According to its Web site, the North Dakota Humanities Council is an independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It's governed by a volunteer board of 15 and served by three full-time staff members and a senior consultant.

The council supports a wide range of public humanities programs with matching grants, special initiatives and partnerships with other institutions and organizations.

(Reach Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tspilde@ndonline.com.)