University of Vermont's new president officially begins tenure

Yahoo

01-07-2025

Marlene Tromp officially begins her tenure as president of the University of Vermont July 1. In a video message on UVM's YouTube, Tromp expressed her excitement at joining UVM and furthering the work the university does.
Tromp was selected as the 28th president of UVM March 20, 2025, following a global search that UVM said included over 100 candidates. She visited UVM then for a round of in-person interview with many campus personnel, and took part in a community forum.
The search for a new president was underway after Suresh Garimella, who served as president between 2019 until October 2024, announced he accepted the president position at the University of Arizona. Patricia Prelock has been serving as interim president since Garimella's departure.
Tromp served as the president of Boise State University for the prior six years before accepting the UVM position. She has over three decades of experience in teaching, research and higher education administration.
At BSU, Tromp guided the institution to record graduation rates and levels of philanthropic funding. She also increased student enrollment while focusing on keeping costs affordable through various initiatives. She also focused on expanding research funding, something she said is also a focus for her at UVM, an institution often leading the world in multiple research pursuits.
Before that, Tromp held positions at the University of California at Santa Cruz and Arizona State University. Tromp has won numerous awards for her teaching, scholarship and community service. She served on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors and consults on higher education with the Federal Reserve Board of San Francisco.
Tromp was raised in Wyoming, the child of a coal miner. She is a first-generation college student who said she has "experienced the power of education to transform lives."
Tromp is a humanities scholar with a concentration in Victorian literature and culture and its relationship to current society. Tromp has published widely, including nine books and dozens of peer-reviewed papers. While so much of UVM's focus seems to branch toward science and research, she said her personal foundation is humanities and she wants to make sure that facet of the university is also taken care of.
Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Marlene Tromp starts as UVM president after leading Boise State