ADELPHI, Md. — Several members of Maryland's board of regents have approached Ohio State University President William Kirwan about taking the job as chancellor of the state's university system, an Ohio State spokesman said Wednesday.

        Lee Tashjian, vice president for university relations, stopped short of saying Dr. Kirwan has been offered the job, but he said Dr. Kirwan has indicated that “he is the primary candidate for that position.”

        Mr. Tashjian said Dr. Kirwan never considered himself a candidate until Monday night, when several regents called him about it.

        “I think he was a bit surprised when they rang him Monday night,” he said. Dr. Kirwan has never sought the job, Mr. Tashjian said.

        A message seeking comment was left for Dr. Kirwan at his office.

        Mr. Tashjian said Dr. Kirwan will not seriously consider the situation in Maryland until after Ohio State's winter commencement Friday. He said he will travel to his vacation home in Deep Cut, Md., for spring break and likely make a decision early next week.

        “He does not wish to play this out over a number of days, out of respect to Ohio State as well as the folks in Maryland,” he said.

        “They obviously want him very much,” David Brennan, president of Ohio State's trustees, said Wednesday. “We know why. He's super and an excellent president.”

        Based on news accounts, Mr. Brennan said Dr. Kirwan probably has the job if he wants it.

        “My personal opinion is that he'll stay at Ohio State,” Mr. Brennan said. “He's done a wonderful job and it's not complete and he knows that.”

        Ohio Gov. Bob Taft was not aware of any official offer made to Dr. Kirwan, spokesman Joe Andrews said Wednesday.

“The governor thought very highly of President Kirwan and would like for him to stay on,” Mr. Andrews said.

        Dr. Kirwan spent 34 years at the University of Maryland as a professor and was president from 1989 to 1998 before becoming president at Ohio's largest university.

        The Maryland university system is searching for a replacement for Chancellor Donald Langenberg, who steps down in April as head of the organization overseeing Maryland's universities.

        The Washington Post reported Wednesday that officials are sure enough of Dr. Kirwan's selection that they have begun talking about his salary and other compensation.

        Dr. Kirwan, 63, is paid $275,400 at Ohio State. Dr. Langenberg makes $345,000. The job also comes with a mansion called Hidden Waters.

        Sources the Post did not identify said an announcement of Dr. Kirwan's selection was delayed, in part, to ensure he has the support of campus presidents, who would be critical to his success.

        As he has been in Ohio, Dr. Kirwan was critical of state funding for the College Park campus when he left Maryland and that has left concerns that he abandoned a problem rather than try to fix it, the Post reported. There also are concerns that he might not support campuses other than College Park as forcefully as he should.

        But supporters say his criticism of funding for College Park helped generate support for the university among legislators who decide state funding.

        Besides funding, Dr. Kirwan also has clashed with Ohio legislators over tuition. Ohio State voted to raise tuition 19 percent this fall for new students and 9 percent for returning students. It initially said it would ask for a 34 percent increase for new students, a proposal that led to discussions of reinstating state tuition caps.

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