STORRS Conn.
The vice president and provost of the University of Iowa has been selected as 14th president of the University of Connecticut, officials said Wednesday.

Michael J. Hogan, who has been Iowa's top academic officer since 2004, will replace outgoing UConn president Philip E. Austin. Austin was president of UConn for more than 10 years before announcing plans last year to retire in September.

The university's 33-member search committee selected Hogan as its unanimous choice after a nationwide search, and UConn's Board of Trustees named him to the post at its meeting Wednesday.

Hogan is slated to start in mid-September.

"Michael Hogan is the ideal candidate to lead our state's flagship public university," Gov. M. Jodi Rell said. "He is committed to excellence, and he shares my vision for the young people who go to UConn to prepare for their futures."

Hogan, who specializes in the history of American diplomacy, held several positions at The Ohio State University before going to University of Iowa.

His responsibilities at Iowa have included overseeing academic programs and services, academic planning, advising the president on health sciences issues, and promoting diversity in the faculty and student body.

He also worked on university fundraising efforts, student recruitment and programs to boost academic and research quality. Hogan also has written or edited nine books and numerous scholarly articles and essays throughout his academic career, according to UConn officials.

"I was attracted to UConn by its steep upward trajectory, its outstanding academic reputation and by the demonstrated commitment to UConn by the governor and the General Assembly," Hogan said after his appointment was announced.

He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Northern Iowa and a master's degree and Ph.D. in history from the University of Iowa. He and his wife, Virginia, have four adult children.

UConn has almost 28,500 students, about 23,500 at the Storrs campus. The university also has separate schools of law and social work in Hartford, five regional campuses throughout the state and schools of medicine and dentistry at the UConn Health Center in Farmington.

Austin announced in December 2006 that he intended to resign in September, telling the Board of Trustees in his resignation letter he believes "the time has now come for me to prepare to leave the presidency and open the way for new leadership."

He also said he thinks it would be a "great advantage" for UConn to have a new president who would be in the spot long enough to shepherd several upcoming multiyear projects.

They include a major fundraising drive and 21st Century UConn, a $2.3 billion project to upgrade and expand facilities at the UConn campuses.

A government commission found problems in 2005 with that program, which was plagued by fire and safety code violations, financial discrepancies and tens of millions of dollars in budget overruns.

The General Assembly later passed a bill to impose tighter oversight and financial controls over the projects, ordering inspections of all new university construction until the 20-year construction program ends in 2015.