The job description for the next chancellor of the University of Texas System hasn't been written yet, but former regent Robert Estrada has some ideas.

"You'd probably start with, 'Must walk on water,' and you'd probably want to throw in, 'Win the Final Four and another BCS championship,' " Mr. Estrada said Monday.

After a weekend to digest the news that Mark Yudof, the UT System chancellor since 2002, had been recommended for the top job at the University of California System, higher education observers in Texas and around the country were in full speculation mode Monday about what kind of successor UT needs.

The next UT chancellor, many agreed, should be a respected academic with political savvy and sharp managerial skills, someone who can work with college presidents and professors as well as lawmakers and donors.

The University of California regents meet Thursday to vote, and Mr. Yudof is widely expected to win the plum appointment. That means UT regents will need to find someone else to lead its 15-campus, 194,000-student system, one of the largest of its kind in the country.

Mr. Yudof, a constitutional law expert who has never held political office but knows higher education policy, has earned high marks from experts.

"I think today the University of Texas System has a great deal of respect compared with where it was 10 years ago," said Charles Miller, a former regent and chairman of the regents board.

Some Texas systems have turned to leaders known more for their political ties than academic credentials. The Texas Tech system picked Kent Hance, a former congressman. The University of North Texas system is led by Lee Jackson, a former state representative and Dallas County judge.

Political ties matter because public universities depend on the state for money. System leaders also turn to federal sources for research and other campus activities.

But the UT System – with its nationally respected flagship in Austin – also needs a leader with solid academic credentials, to win support and respect of professors, deans and college presidents.

Running one campus is different from running a group of them. Campus presidents deal directly with faculty and students, so academics are always a priority. Campus leaders also must raise money from alumni and other private donors.

A system chancellor must advocate for a whole set of campuses ­ which sometimes have competing priorities. It's a little like a parent who has to make sure that all the children are treated fairly, and no one feels left out.

That's not always the case in the UT System, which is dominated by the Austin flagship. It's the biggest campus, it gets millions in federal research dollars, and it's the only UT school that in an elite circle of top research campuses in the country.

Observers also say the new chancellor will need to fight for funding from the Legislature while also working to keep college affordable for young Texans, an increasing number of whom are low-income or minority.

"Someone coming in should have a proven track record of having dealt with diversity issues," said Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas.

Potential successors?

The UC System hasn't hired Mark Yudof officially, so it's early to make predictions, but some possibilities include:

William Powers, UT-Austin president

Kenneth Shine, executive vice chancellor in the UT System who oversees the six medical campuses

Teresa Sullivan, former UT System executive vice chancellor, now provost at the University of Michigan

Those are just Texas names – and regents would arguably like someone with a Texas tie because the chancellor needs to work so closely with state lawmakers. It's also possible the regents would turn to someone at another large public university or system such as:

Peter McPherson, president of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges

Charles Reed, chancellor of California State University

Graham Spanier, president of Penn State University

The UT regents probably would name an interim chancellor while searching for a permanent one. The search would certainly be national, if not international, experts say.

Searching for a chancellor

How long does it take? About six months, experts say. "It's hard to do them any quicker, and you really shouldn't do them any slower," said William Funk, who runs a higher-education search firm in Dallas.

How much does it cost? About $100,000

How big is the pool? For a system leader, probably 30 to 40 candidates would be seriously considered, Mr. Funk estimates.

How often do these searches happen? The average tenure of presidents at public universities is four to six years.

Requirements? A doctorate, professional credential or some other terminal degree, and the ability to manage complex organizations with big budgets and work with multiple campuses and competing demands.