Prospective University of Vermont president Marlene Tromp said she is coming to Vermont with a willingness to lead the university, and an impressive resume to back that up.
Tromp began her journey into higher education as a first-generation college student, her father working “triple overtime” at his job in the coal mines to pay for her to attend Creighton University in Nebraska.
Tromp, the Boise State University president, said the job she has held for the past six years was “an opportunity to help communities similar to how I grew up.”
Tromp is the sole finalist for the UVM presidency and spoke publicly on campus Wednesday.
What is Marlene Tromp’s educational background
She received her Bachelor of Arts undergrad degree, then attended the University of Wyoming to earn a Master of Arts in English. Tromp then earned a PhD in English from the University of Florida.
Dr. Marlene Tromp is the sole finalist for the position of University of Vermont president. The university’s Board of Trustees announced her consideration on March 17, 2025.
What Tromp wants UVM to know about her years at Boise State
Tromp has been president at Boise State since July 2019 – the first woman to hold that role there. She has presided during a period of enrollment growth – the student body has grown between 20% and 50% each of the past five years – when national rates of college enrollment have declined in some places by 50%.
Idaho’s largest four-year university, Boise State’s fall student headcount was 27,198 last fall.
Boise State has also grown its research portfolio over the past five years. Research awards totaled $83 million in 2024.
Presidential finalist Marlene Tromp answers questions by staff, faculty and students at a public forum at UVM March 19, 2025.
While student numbers have grown, Boise State has also seen an improvement in graduation rates. In 2022-23, Boise State’s four-year graduation rate was 42.7%, up from 38.1% three years earlier.
Other accomplishments included a campaign to raise $80 million in endowed funds, providing 1,500 scholarships. She said she was also able to keep Bosie’s tuition the sixth lowest in the country. She spoke to Vermont’s more rural areas when she said socioeconomic factors cannot be a roadblock to having an education.
What about the lawsuit against Tromp by a Boise coffee shop after student protests
In her time at Boise, and especially since the change in the legislature in the recent months, Tromp has been at the forefront in an ongoing Statehouse debate over social justice as well as diversity, equity and inclusion.
In September, an Ada County jury awarded Big City Coffee owner Sarah Jo Fendley nearly $4 million in a First Amendment lawsuit against Boise State; Tromp testified in the trial.
Where else has Marlene Tromp worked in higher education
Tromp served as provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and dean at Arizona State University New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. She started her career at Denison University.
In a public forum Wednesday with faculty, staff and students, Tromp answered a plethora of questions. In many of her answers, she referred back to past relevant experiences in higher education institutions.
She said Santa Cruz had a “profound dedication to social justice and social change.” She saw that work as a commitment to excellence and a clear example of collaboration between staff and students, something she wants to bring into her time at UVM.
In Arizona she served as provost and dean to a school of 170,000 students. While many were part-time, she said having to serve such a large populus forced her to be decisive and think in new ways.
Arizona State University ranked No. 1 in innovation for the tenth year in a row, in the annual “Best Colleges” 2025 rankings by U.S. News & World Report. Tromp said that experience will heed well in her approach to UVM’s research focus.
Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Marlene Tromp, UVM’s presidential finalist, shares her experience
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