The University of Vermont’s board of trustees appointed current provost Patricia Prelock to be the university’s interim president at a special meeting on Monday.

The board discussed the appointment in an hourlong executive session before voting unanimously to name Prelock to the position. Prelock is expected to step into the role at the end of September, when current president Suresh Garimella plans to leave his post to lead the University of Arizona.

The decision to appoint Prelock was not announced publicly during the board of trustees’ meeting but was disclosed in a press release issued by the university later on Monday evening.

“I am certain that we will maintain the positive momentum of recent years as we navigate together toward a presidential leadership transition,” Prelock said in the release. “UVM’s students are always my highest priority, and I look forward to leading continued collaboration with my valued colleagues across the university to ensure their success.”

Prelock has worked for UVM for over 30 years and has served as the university’s provost and senior vice president since 2019. Formerly, she had been dean of the College of Nursing and Health Science for 10 years and had been a department chair and professor of communications sciences and disorders, according to her biography on the university website.

Prelock’s appointment comes shortly after Garimella was tapped to serve as the president of  the University of Arizona, where he was named the sole finalist for the role earlier this month.

Garimella joined UVM as its 27th president in 2019. Since then, he has been recognized for overseeing significant growth in the university’s endowment and enrollment. But Garimella has also weathered criticism from faculty, staff and students during his tenure, including protests relating to the university’s handling of sexual assault allegations in 2022 and response to violence in Gaza this spring. 

The university did not include Prelock’s expected salary for her new role. Garimella’s base salary at UVM was $509,331, as of November, according to university documents. 

Chloe Jad contributed reporting.