Interim President James Davis appointed David Vanden Bout, dean of the College of Natural Sciences, as interim provost Thursday. The announcement comes one day after Davis was named interim president.

Rachel Davis Mersey has been serving in the role of provost and executive vice president since August when she was named interim. She was made permanent provost in January. Mersey “is returning to teaching full time,” a university spokesperson said in an email.

“(Bout’s) academic leadership and deep experience on the frontier of science greatly enhances our broad teaching and research mission,” James Davis said in an email to the UT community Thursday. “I want to express my thanks to Provost Rachel Davis Mersey for her many contributions as a leader and faculty member.”

James Davis also said he is honored to serve as interim president in the email. He acknowledged his family’s ties to UT and thanked university leadership for their support and commitment.

“We build the future from a foundation of tremendous strength,” he said.

James Davis’ appointment as interim president comes after former President Jay Hartzell announced in January that he would be leaving the university to step into the role of president at Southern Methodist University, a private institution in Dallas.