University provost Christine Maziar compares herself to a graduating senior.

She said she doesn’t know where she’ll be living this summer, she wants to spend time with friends before she leaves and she’ll miss Friday afternoons with pals at the Campus Club.

Maziar will leave the University at the end of June to pursue a career as vice president and associate provost at Notre Dame University.

“This was a tough decision for me to make,” said Maziar. “I love the University and I have a lot of great colleagues here and this is an institution with so much potential. The people of Minnesota should be very proud.”

E. Thomas Sullivan, a law professor and former dean of the Law School, will replace Maziar, pending approval by the Board of Regents.

Maziar, who specializes in electrical and computer engineering, came to the University in 1998. She served as dean of the graduate school and vice president for research until assuming her current post in July 2002.

Her post is the second highest at the University, and she is responsible for overseeing the University’s academic programs.

She said her major accomplishments at the University include restructuring the grants management system for research, helping the community understand the huge financial impact of the University’s research programs, establishing the Twenty-First Century Graduate Fellowship Fund and navigating the University through “horrendous” budget cuts from the state.

University President Bob Bruininks said he is excited for Maziar’s new position, but is sorry the University will lose her.

“She’s made very important and lasting contributions to the University of Minnesota,” he said.

He said he chose Maziar’s replacement as soon as possible because the University has too many concerns to leave her position empty for any period of time.

Frank Cerra, senior vice president of the Academic Health Center, said Maziar has contributed to the forward motion of the University and its administration.

Sullivan is scheduled to begin his new post July 1. He said he is excited for the opportunity to serve the University as provost.

He said he hopes to help the University move forward in recognition and national rank, and plans to set clear academic policies and priorities.

He said he also wants to ensure the undergraduate experience is intellectually rich and rewarding, and plans on maintaining strong graduate programs.

Matthew Storin, associate vice president of news and information at Notre Dame University, declined to comment on Maziar’s decision. He said the institution will announce the position sometime next week.

Maziar said her Catholic faith played a role in her decision to go to Notre Dame. She said she looks forward to being an academic, an administrator and an engineer at a Roman Catholic institution.

Maziar said moving this time will be different than it was during her college days.

“It’s not as easy as when I was a grad student and everything fit in the back of my Pinto,” she said.

Amy Horst contributed to this report.