For the third time in the last year, a UVM administrator is leaving Burlington for Tucson, Ariz.
On Tuesday, the University of Arizona announced that UVM’s Interim President Patricia Prelock had been selected as their next provost and senior vice president of academic affairs.
News broke that Prelock was a finalist for the position on March 30, a day before she visited the U of A campus for interviews and meetings with the campus community.
Prelock follows in the footsteps of her colleagues, former UVM President Suresh Garimella, who took the equivalent job at U of A in August 2024, and Richard Cate, vice president of finance and administration, who accepted an advisory position.
“Patty has been an invaluable and dedicated leader at UVM,” stated Cynthia Barnhart, chair of the UVM board of trustees, in an April 11 campus-wide email. “We appreciate that her move to this next phase of her career has been informed by a combination of professional and personal considerations including her family in Arizona.”
A 14-member community selected Prelock from a pool of four finalists after a monthslong candidate search, according to an April 8 press release from the University of Arizona.
“Dr. Prelock is a world-class academic leader and the ideal person to serve as our provost as we align the U of A around our strategic imperatives,” University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella stated in the press release. “I look forward to welcoming Dr. Prelock to Arizona and to what we will accomplish for this community together.”
Prelock, who has worked at UVM in various roles for 30 years, will begin her new role at U of A on May 19. Acting Provost Linda Schadler will take over the top job until Marlene Tromp, who was recently hired as Garimella’s replacement, assumes the role in August.
“While this new opportunity is truly exciting to me — especially the chance to spend more time with my grandkids in Scottsdale, Arizona — it will be bittersweet for me to leave UVM,” Prelock stated in an April 11 campus-wide email. “I will forever treasure my time here and all that we accomplished together.”
