University President Bryce Jordan is not ready to name an interim provost, but said the delay should not affect the transition between the temporary person and William C. Richardson, outgoing executive vice president and provost.

"It will be done in time for those two to get to spend some time together," Jordan said. But Jordan said he could not give an exact date when his choice will be announced.

In January, Richardson accepted the presidency of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He plans to leave his present position May 25 and begin his duties at Hopkins on July 1.

Jordan had announced he would name an interim provost within 30 to 60 days of Richardson's acceptance of Hopkins' offer. That would have meant the announcement would have come by Sunday.

As provost, Richardson serves as a liaison between the faculty and the administration and heads the day-to-day operations of the University.

After accepting Hopkins' presidency, Richardson said he planned to work with his interim replacement before his departure from Penn State.

Richardson said he hopes the interim provost will be named by the end of April. Jordan said he expects to have made a decision by then.

"I'm hoping that we have an overlap of at least a month," Richardson said. "I think that would be a suitable amount of time."

Although Jordan has not yet made a decision, he said he is not having any difficulty finding qualified people. The interim provost will be named from within the University, but Jordan said he had no preconceived notion of who might be chosen.

"I've obviously been thinking about it," Jordan said. But he said he is undergoing further consultation with faculty and administrators before making his final decision.

The interim provost could become a candidate to fill the permanent position, but that possibility is up to the next University president, said Jordan, who is scheduled to retire Aug. 31.

It is customary for a University president to choose a provost with the aid of a selection committee he or she has appointed, Jordan said.