The University is looking for a new provost and is in the process of finalizing candidates for the post.

Warwick Arden has served the University as interim provost since May 2009, when Larry Nielsen left the University. The Provost Search Committee, headed by Margery Overton, chair of the faculty and professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, is considering the applications for the position.

Overton said the committee is still reviewing the applications and plans to announce names in the near future.

“We are still looking at the people whose names have come up, and we’ll probably schedule interviews sometime in November,” Overton said.

Due to the confidentiality of the search, the committee is not announcing the names of the applicants. Overton said only the finalists for the position will be public. Although the group hasn’t narrowed the field, Overton said the committee is thinking of bringing about three people to the on-campus interview.

“Three, possibly four people might be invited for the campus interview next month,” Overton said.

Once the search committee has selected candidates, it will recommend these names to Chancellor Randy Woodson. The chancellor has a final word on the matter and decides who will be the provost.

As the University’s chief academic officer, the provost oversees student affairs and educational policies across the colleges. The provost’s responsibilities include leading academic planning and overseeing faculty hiring and tenure, according to Overton.

All 10 colleges report to the Office of the Provost, along with a number of other departments. The newest additions to the provost’s portfolio, the Division of Student Affairs and University Planning and Analysis, were added early this year when Woodson took office. In addition, the dean of the graduate school became a direct report to the provost, according to the provost website.

Applications for the post were open until Sept. 15, with a hiring date between Jan. 1 and June 2011.