Search committee members today begin evaluating the application material for dozens of candidates to serve as the next president of the University of Iowa,the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported. In a meeting via telephone on Thursday, the leader of an outside search firm stressed the need for committee members to keep the names of candidates confidential — even after a handful of finalists are brought to the UI campus for public visits in September, and after the Iowa Board of Regents selects a new president. As of Thursday afternoon, 44 candidates had applied, with at least six more expressing interest, said Laurie Wilder, president of Parker Executive Search, which was hired by the Board of Regents to assist the committee in the screening of candidates.