Vice Provost for faculty and academic affairs Arlene Carney is taking part in a two-day interview process for the position of provost at the University of Iowa on Thursday and Friday.

The previous provost, Michael Hogan, vacated the position in August when he was named president of the University of Connecticut, University of Iowa Vice Provost Tom Rocklin said.

University of Iowa provost search committee co-chairman Michael O’Hara and student government president Barrett Anderson said Carney may not be actively trying to leave her current post at the University.

Carney was unavailable for comment while she was interviewing in Iowa.

“She was nominated (for the position) by an outside source,” O’Hara said, also noting that this was a common trend among the candidates.

“I spent a lot of time on the phone trying to convince people to take a look at the position and become candidates,” he said.

Anderson said Carney seemed to be happy in her position at Minnesota.

As vice provost for faculty and academic affairs, Carney manages all aspects of the University’s faculty. In a previous interview, she said a lot of her job is overseeing the tenure process and orienting new faculty to the University.

“We have the highest regard for Vice Provost Carney, and while we would hate to lose her, we congratulate her on the honor of being named a finalist for the position of Provost at the University of Iowa,” Provost Thomas Sullivan said in an e-mail statement Thursday.

Rocklin said the new provost will be “centrally involved” in executing the last year of the University of Iowa’s current five-year strategic plan, and will also be charged with developing the next five-year goals.

“We need somebody who’s an established intellectual leader, someone who understands the multiple missions of a public research university,” he said.

The University of Iowa set up a search committee during fall semester, Anderson said.

Anderson, who serves as the undergraduate representative on the committee, said he met Carney on Thursday afternoon and was impressed with her friendliness.

“I was struck by how personable she was,” he said.

Hogan had a reputation for being highly accessible to students, Anderson said, and undergraduates are hoping to bring in someone with similar qualities.

The University of Iowa held a public forum Thursday afternoon, giving students, faculty and staff the opportunity to question Carney about the position, and Carney will give a presentation about the future of research universities Friday, he said.

O’Hara said Carney’s combination of a strong reputation in her field (audiology and speech sciences) and her experience as an administrator make her an appealing candidate for the provost position.

Carney was on campus for the interview at the same time as Suzanne Ortega, current vice provost and dean of the graduate school at the University of Washington.

Only three of the five candidates have been identified, and the University of Iowa will release the names of the final two candidates on the day before their visits, according to the University of Iowa Web site.