An open forum Wednesday on the University of Vermont campus gave students, faculty and staff an opportunity to meet and ask questions of the lone finalist for the college presidency.
The Board of Trustees has named Dr. Marlene Tromp the sole finalist to lead the college. As the hour-long forum began Board of Trustees Immediate Past Chair Ron Lumbra explained what criteria the search committee had set.
“We want someone who is a proven leader, who can help us in this really trying, difficult period for academia. We want someone with strategic vision and direction but who can put that vision and direction to work. But equally important we want someone who demonstrates empathy and who can really engage with our community. And that engagement with our community was one of the most important hallmarks of the remit that we had in looking at candidates,” Lumbra said.
The search committee of 18 campus and community members considered over 30 candidates and interviewed more than a third of them. Tromp received unanimous support from the search committee and the Board of Trustees.
“I did grow up in a small town in Wyoming. I am a professor of English and women’s studies. I launched a queer studies program at my first institution. I’ve spent my life committed to the work of higher education because I believe it allows us to change people’s lives so they can change the world. And I think that’s something that the University of Vermont is deeply committed to,” Tromp said. “I’m excited about what this university can accomplish particularly in this time when so many things that we deeply value in higher education and in the work of making the world a better place feel profoundly under attack.”
The Trump Administration has issued several mandates aimed at curtailing student protests. Tromp was asked how she would approach freedom of expression and how she would empower student voices. Tromp said she is a strong advocate for academic freedom and believes it is the bedrock of a university.
“Student voices need to be allowed to be heard on a college campus and in fact our students have so much to teach us about where we can go and how we can navigate the challenges ahead. A university is a place where differences of opinion and ideas should be able to be debated and engaged. It is a difficult time for people to feel they can speak freely which is why it is so important for people to feel the freedom to pursue their academic interests, to speak, to disagree and to make the space available for that dialogue,” asserted Tromp.
Among the written questions for Tromp were several that asked why she wants the job since UVM is smaller than Boise State University, which she currently leads.
“UVM is one of the most impactful universities in this country. The research engine of this university has revved up in such a way that it is poised to make such a powerful impact it can’t be slowed down by the challenges that are ahead,” Tromp said. “The idea of being at a place that is differently governed, to think about what it can mean in defense of democracy, to think about the way that technology and health and the insights that come from across a research enterprise can feed into that. This can be a transformative moment for letting UVM lead and lead the nation and lead the world.”
Tromp replaces Dr. Suresh Garimella, who left last fall to lead the University of Arizona. Provost Patricia Prelock has been serving as interim president.
