Dear colleagues and students,

It has been so joyful to see the sun warming our beautiful campus this week during this period of transition between winter and spring. As we enter the busy month of April, I am pleased to share a few updates regarding our search for UVM’s next provost.

Since my announcement last month, I have appointed a search committee that includes students, faculty, staff, and administrators drawn from across campus. The Faculty Senate election process yielded an impressive panel of faculty who selected four of their members to serve on the committee. The complete committee comprises these members:

Co-Chairs

  • Alicia Estey, Vice President for Finance and Administration
  • Abby McGowan, Professor of History; Faculty Senate President

Members

  • Bettyjo Bouchey, Chief Professional and Continuing Education Officer
  • Natalie Cote, Graduate Student, HESA; Graduate Assistant for Student Engagement (Student Life); Graduate Student Senator
  • Paula Deming, Professor of Biomedical and Health Sciences; Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Research, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Mandar Dewoolkar, Dean, College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Kirk Dombrowski, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, University Distinguished Professor of Anthropology
  • Lisa Holmes, Associate Professor of Political Science
  • Jay Jacobs, Vice President for Enrollment Management
  • Jennifer Jorgenson, Director, VT Child Welfare Training Partnership; Staff Council President
  • Colby Kervick, Associate Professor of Special Education; Chair, Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee
  • Peter Newman, Dean and Professor, Rubenstein School for Environment and Natural Resources 
  • Jane Okech, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs; Professor of Counselor Education and Supervision
  • Lily Onorato, Undergraduate Student, Psychology; Speaker of the Senate, Student Government Associate
  • Rebecca Wilcox, Professor of Pathology, Associate Dean for Faculty, Larner College of Medicine

I am deeply grateful to Prof. McGowan and Vice President Estey for their willingness to co-chair this committee and lead the search process. You can expect to hear from them as this important search progresses over the coming months. Please look for updates and information on the Provost Search webpage.

One of the most important aspects of a leadership search is input from the community. The committee and I understand that it is vital to hear your voices about the future of this important role. To that end and in cooperation with the search committee, our partners at Witt/Kieffer will host listening sessions for broad groups of our community over the next few weeks. Sessions will be virtual and links for them will be listed on the Provost Search webpage. Please participate if you are able and use this survey to provide your perspective as well. The search firm will conduct the recruitment process throughout the summer. We will continue engaging the campus community in the process this fall and we hope to identify our next provost in October.

Your engagement is so important in shaping the priorities we seek in this essential academic leader. The insights you provide will be vital in attracting a person to this role who embodies Our Common Ground values and the academic aspirations and excellence of the University in which we take such pride. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Marlene Tromp
President