By Lindsay Shachnow and Sydney Topf

Boston University’s Board of Trustees appointed Kenneth Freeman, vice president and associate provost and dean emeritus of the Questrom School of Business, Wednesday as the interim president of the University.

Freeman will assume the position August 1 after President Robert Brown steps down July 31. 

The Board wrote in an email letter to the BU community the trustees decided to introduce an interim president because it aims to make the process “careful, unhurried” and conducted in a “strategic way.”

“The Search Committee is deliberating thoughtfully to ensure the next president is uniquely suited to lead Boston University into its next era of transformational achievement,” the email said. 

Freeman was Questrom’s dean for eight years, and since leaving the position, “has served the University in several different capacities” including teaching MBA courses and leading Human Resources during the pandemic, according to the email.

The email, signed by Chair of BU’s Board of Trustees Ahmass Fakahany, said the Search Committee and the Board “have considered excellent candidates from highly regarded institutions across the country and around the world” for the position since launching the search last fall. 

The Board wrote that it “looks forward to finishing the job of finding a worthy successor” and is “optimistic about that outcome.”