The University of Vermont has announced that Elizabeth “Betsy” Dumont has been selected as the university’s next Provost and Senior Vice President, pending Board of Trustees approval. 

Dumont comes to UVM from the University of California-Merced, where she served as Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost after spending seven years as Dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Professor of Life and Environmental Sciences. Prior to that, she spent 16 years at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where she progressed from Assistant Biology Professor to Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. She previously taught at Northeast Ohio Medical University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. 

“Betsy brings to UVM a collaborative leadership style grounded in careful listening and trust building,” said UVM President Marlene Tromp. “She shares my deep commitment to transparency and encouraging diverse perspectives through open and constructive discourse, and her values and priorities align strongly with those of the university. She is the right person to lead academics at UVM as we forge ahead on the ambitious path laid out by our Green, Gold, and Bold Strategic Plan.” 

“I am thrilled to join the University of Vermont and become part of a community with such a strong commitment to academic excellence, discovery, and the public good,” Dumont said. “UVM’s distinctive combination of a world-class research university and a deep commitment to its students and the communities it serves is especially compelling to me. I look forward to partnering with faculty, staff, students, and university leadership to build on UVM’s strengths, advance its academic mission, and expand its impact in Vermont and beyond.” 

Dumont will succeed Linda Schadler, who served as UVM’s Interim Provost since October 2024. Schadler has announced her retirement after 34 years in higher education. 

Dumont’s hiring marks the culmination of a national search. UVM’s search committee was co-chaired by Faculty Senate President Abby McGowan and Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Alicia Estey, and input was gathered through numerous listening sessions to help shape the position profile and identify priorities for the search. 

“I’m very pleased to be able to welcome Betsy to UVM as our new Provost. Among a truly excellent pool of candidates, Betsy stood out as an outstanding leader with proven success across a wide range of administrative positions,” said McGowan. “As chief academic officer, Betsy will bring her inclusive style and deep expertise navigating institutional change to help shape UVM’s path going forward. I look forward to partnering with her, as she engages faculty, staff, students and the wider community in that important work at this pivotal moment.” 

“Betsy brings exceptional leadership capabilities, strategic vision, and the experience needed to position UVM for long-term success in a rapidly changing higher education landscape. I am excited to partner with her and look forward to the collaborative, thoughtful approach she will bring to advancing the university’s mission,” said Estey. 

"The Department of Biology is thrilled to welcome Dr. Betsy Dumont as a newly appointed member of our department,” said Brent Lockwood, associate professor and chair of the UVM Department of Biology. “Dr. Dumont is a highly respected leader in evolutionary vertebrate morphology, whose extramurally funded research program has spanned more than three decades and produced over 100 peer-reviewed publications. Her research has revealed how anatomy, biomechanics, behavior, and ecology interact to shape evolutionary diversification across a remarkable range of species, including bats, birds, primates, marsupials, and even sharks.” 

Dumont’s appointment is expected to be formally approved by the UVM Board of Trustees’ executive committee in its scheduled meeting on Nov. 16. Dumont would then begin on campus on Jan. 4.