The committee searching for the next chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston wrapped up three days of interviews on Tuesday having met with 11 candidates vying to lead the Columbia Point campus.

The search committee, chaired by UMass trustee Norman Peters, will meet later this month to consider next steps, which could include making a recommendation of finalists to UMass President Marty Meehan, according to a university spokesman.

"We've had truly outstanding candidates step forward to seek this position, and were very optimistic about where this process is heading and about the future of UMass Boston," Peters said in a statement to the News Service.

The finalists, when they are chosen, are expected to make daylong visits to the campus to meet with students, faculty and administrators. At that stage, the names of the remaining candidates are likely to be made public. Meehan then will select from the finalists chosen by the committee and present his choice to become the next UMass Boston chancellor to the board of trustees for approval. This round of interviews began on Sunday.

An interim chancellor, Katherine Newman, is currently running the university after a previous search collapsed when all of the three finalists withdrew from consideration.