University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella on Tuesday announced Patricia Prelock as the next senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. She is expected to begin her appointment overseeing the university's academic enterprise May 19. 

A highly accomplished scientist and scholar in clinical speech-language pathology, Prelock has served as interim president at the University of Vermont since October and has been the school's provost since 2019. She previously served as dean of the UVM College of Nursing and Health Sciences for 10 years and as chair of the Department of Communication Sciences for seven years. During her tenure as UVM provost and interim president, the institution grew significantly, adding nearly 1,000 students and achieving status as a Research 1 university. 

"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," said University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella. "My thanks to search co-chairs Cindy Rankin and David Hahn and the entire committee for their work, and we appreciate the engagement of our university community in this process. I look forward to welcoming Dr. Prelock to Arizona and to what we will accomplish for this community together." 

Prelock was selected from four finalists who visited the university at the end of March and beginning of this month. A 14-member committee including faculty, staff, students and administrators met over the past few months to identify potential candidates and conduct virtual and then in-person interviews. 

"My visit to the University of Arizona confirmed for me the extraordinary talent of the faculty, staff and students and their desire to increase academic success, their focus on research for the future, and their commitment to engagement with their community," Prelock said. "I appreciated the rigor and integrity of the search process and the thoughtfulness of the search committee, as well as the opportunity to connect with administrators, students, faculty, staff and governance leaders across the campus." 

Before her work in academic leadership, Prelock served as a faculty member at the University of Vermont since the mid-1990s. An accomplished expert in the nature and treatment of autism in children, interprofessional education and collaborative practice, and family-centered care, she has authored over 220 publications and received nearly $25 million in university, state and federal funding for her research. Prelock succeeds Ronald W. Marx, dean emeritus for the College of Education, who has served as interim provost for the better part of the last two years. 

"Dr. Prelock brings a depth and breadth of leadership and scholarship experience that resonates across the entire academic enterprise and was deeply valued by the search committee and campus community," said search committee co-chair David Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering. "Her vision aligns with the university's land-grant mission and commitment to advancing student success, strengthening our research mission, and deepening community engagement." 

"Dr. Prelock is an accomplished scholar as well as a proven leader, mentor and advocate for faculty, students and staff, and we are confident she will be an outstanding partner to President Garimella and a vital member of the leadership team," said search committee co-chair Cindy Rankin, an associate professor of physiology. 

Prelock earned a doctorate in speech-language pathology from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in speech pathology from Kent State. In addition to her administrative post at the U of A, Prelock is being considered for a faculty appointment.