URBANA (AP) – The never-ending debate over the American Indian mascot at the University of Illinois’ flagship campus will likely remain unresolved for the foreseeable future, raising concerns that it could hinder the hiring of a new university president.

While some say the controversy that follows Chief Illiniwek everywhere shouldn’t get in the way, others say it will at least be a distraction in the search for James J. Stukel’s successor and, at worst, could keep qualified candidates from applying.

“I think it’s a major thorn,” said Jean Dowdall, a veteran headhunter who is not involved in the search. “Distraction, I think that understates it.”

A resolution approved by the Board of Trustees at its June 17 meeting calls on Illiniwek’s supporters and detractors to compromise for the best interest of the university. That could be an arduous task that likely will go on long beyond Stukel’s retirement early next year.

Applications to become the next head of the three-campus, 70,000-student UI system are due Aug. 20. A consultant hired by the university and a 19-member committee of faculty and staff will then sift through resumes to find the best four to six candidates to present to the university’s Board of Trustees, perhaps this fall.

The search committee has also created a 10-page “white paper” that describes the qualities it is seeking in a new leader and what the university expects of its next president. The paper does not mention Chief Illiniwek, a symbol personified by a student who dresses in American Indian garb and dances at athletic contests.

Supporters say the Chief honors American Indians while opponents contend it is a racist, degrading stereotype. The debate has divided the university’s Urbana-Champaign campus for more than a decade.

The Chief is an issue for the Board of Trustees to decide and not in the purview of the search committee, said committee Chairman Avijit Ghosh, dean of the UI College of Business. But he concedes it is an issue a candidate for president must consider.

“This is something that I’m sure the next president will have to think about as any other kind of challenge that a university has,” Ghosh said.

Leaders of the caliber the University of Illinois seeks should welcome the challenge of helping to find a compromise, said trustees Chairman Lawrence C. Eppley.

“If a candidate would turn it down because of the Chief, then we’ve probably got the wrong candidate,” he said.