The Presidential Search and Screen Committee today may complete a list of finalists for the next University president, and one name rumored for the position is Washington State University President Samuel Smith.

The final five to 10 candidates to replace University President Bryce Jordan, who retires Aug. 31, will probably be selected during a meeting today, said Thomas Merritt, the committee's chairman.

A list of candidates will be submitted to J. Lloyd Huck, chairman of the Trustee Presidential Selection Committee on March 1, said Merritt. The two committees will meet March 15 to discuss the candidates' qualifications, he added. The selection committee will decide the University's next president, using the list of candidates provided by the search committee.

Merritt said he was not permitted to comment on the possible candidates.

Smith, a former Dean of Agriculture here, has support to become the next Penn State president, according to a Feb. 2 Pullman (Wash.) Daily News column titled "Wheat and Chaff." However, in a Feb. 19 edition of the newspaper, an editorial stated that does not mean he will accept.

Another name rumored to be among the candidates is that of Michigan State President John DiBiaggio. But a spokesman said Wednesday he is not interested in leaving his current position.

Until January, when Penn State Executive Vice President and Provost William C. Richardson accepted the presidency of Johns Hopkins University, he was considered the leading candidate here.

Barbara Petura, a Washington State University spokeswoman, said Smith has not been contacted by Penn State.

"But we have seen reports . . . that he has been nominated," she added. She would not comment on whether Smith might accept an offer of the presidency here.

Huck said Wednesday that Smith's experience at Penn State made it likely his name would at least come up in the search committee.

Smith's former assistant, Jack MacMillan, said he has heard the rumor of Smith's candidacy, too, but is unsure whether Smith would return to the University.

"I'd love to see him come back, but I don't know if he'd entertain the notion if it was offered," he said.

Smith, 50, worked at Penn State for almost 20 years and therefore his consideration by the search committee would not be surprising, said Petura.

He left his position here about five years ago for the presidency at Washington State, MacMillan said.

MacMillan, now retired from Penn State, said Smith would be a natural candidate for the presidency here.

"He has the presence and the vision," MacMillan said.

Smith's mentor was former Penn State President John W. Oswald, MacMillan said. And during Smith's years here, he was very popular, he added.

Smith has also been successful at raising funds in the Washington state legislature, he said. Increasing state funding was a major goal of the Jordan administration. Pennsylvania ranked 47th out of the 50 states for funding for state universities in 1985-86, the last year for which national statistics are available.

Merritt said no final candidates have been chosen yet and no nominee has been completely eliminated.

"We try to evaluate the names we have as completely as we can," he said.