Dr. Marlene Tromp, courtesy of University of VermontThis story was updated at 2:25 p.m.The University of Vermont on Monday named Dr. Marlene Tromp, Boise State University’s president, as the sole finalist in its presidential search.Tromp has served in the top role at Boise State University since 2 019, and previously served as the provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, as well as the dean and vice provost at Arizona State University.“We are delighted to announce that the University of Vermont Board of Trustees has approved Dr. Marlene Tromp as sole finalist for the position of university president,” Cynthia Barnhart, the chair of the UVM Board of Trustees, and Ron Lumbra, the past chair of the board, said in a release.She will visit UVM’s campus Tuesday and Wednesday this week, where students, staff and faculty will be able to meet with Tromp. An open forum is scheduled for Wednesday, March 19, in the Silver Maple Ballroom of the Dudley H. Davis Center.Tromp was not made available for comment.Tromp’s selection as the university’s sole finalist follows a six-month national search for a candidate to replace former President Suresh Garimella.Garimella, who was brought on as the university’s 27th president in 2019, announced in August he’d be leaving Vermont to head the University of Arizona.Patricia Prelock, the university’s provost, has since served as interim president.UVM’s Board of Trustees fielded more than 100 interested applications for the job and interviewed more than 10 candidates, according to the press release from board members.The board first met with Tromp in February and approved her candidacy during a special meeting Friday.During her time at Boise State University, Tromp worked in partnership with the faculty to increase the academic and research profile of the university, UVM said in a release, and “shattered the student graduation record, research funding record and philanthropy record year after year.”She is a professor of English and is an author of several books and articles on Victorian literature and culture.Tromp in her current role with Boise State University has faced repeated criticism from Idaho state lawmakers and others who suggested she “has allowed a leftist social justice agenda to permeate the state’s largest campus,” according to reporting from Idaho Education News.In January, Republican state lawmakers grilled Tromp and alleged Boise State University was flouting a state resolution against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education.In December, the Idaho State Board of Education passed a resolution prohibiting “central offices, policies, procedures, or initiatives … dedicated to DEI ideology” at public higher ed institutions, according to reporting from Inside Higher Ed.The university closed two student equity centers on its campus prior to that resolution’s passing. But Tromp continued to face criticism from state lawmakers. During a House education committee meeting in January, several lawmakers questioned whether an optional certification in the university’s sociology department went against the state’s DEI ban.Tromp, during her tenure, helped defend the university against a $10 million civil lawsuit brought by a business owner who claimed administrators pushed her off campus and violated her First Amendment rights.Sarah Jo Fendley, the owner of Big City Coffee, sued the university in 2021, alleging she was forcibly pushed off campus in 2020 after students contacted university leaders to condemn the owner’s support of law enforcement, according to reporting from Idaho Education News.While Tromp was not a party to the lawsuit, she testified in court on the matter and denied the university violated Fendley’s First Amendment rights, saying Fendley willingly gave up her shop location in the university library after only 42 days in business.A jury in September sided with Fendley, awarding her $3 million. Boise State filed motions to reverse the verdict or grant the school a new trial. But a judge in January ruled against the university. The case is expected to be appealed to the state’s Supreme Court.Read the story on VTDigger here: Boise State University president tapped as sole finalist to replace Garimella as head of UVM. ...read more read less