Notre Dame Provost Marie Lynn Miranda is stepping down at the end of the year. Here's why.

SOUTH BEND — University of Notre Dame Provost Marie Lynn Miranda announced Thursday she will step down after a year and a half as the university's second-ranking officer.

The provost, a position established at Notre Dame in 1970, is elected by the board of trustees and is responsible for all academic affairs.

Miranda is the university's fifth provost and began her tenure July 1, 2020. She will step down on Dec. 31, according to a news release from the university.

"The past 20 months have been so very difficult around the world, especially for those most vulnerable," Miranda wrote in a letter to the campus community. "As I suspect is true for many of you, the pandemic has prompted me to reflect on how I want to engage in building a post-pandemic world."

Miranda will remain a tenured member of the Notre Dame faculty and said she feels "compelled to work more directly on the issue about which I am most passionate."

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Notre Dame officials will conduct a search for its next provost. University policy states Notre Dame's president should form and chair a search committee including faculty and a student representative.

The committee is expected to consult with the campus community, seek nominations and make a recommendation to Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins who will share recommendations with the Board of Trustees.

Chris Maziar, the university's vice president and senior associate provost, will serve as interim provost as the committee seeks to fill Miranda's position.

Miranda served for four years as dean of the University of Michigan's School of Natural resources and Environment and another four years as provost at Rice University before coming to Notre Dame.

The outgoing provost has been a key figure in the university's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and serves as lead scientist for the Indiana COVID-19 Registry, an Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute partnership between IU, Purdue and Notre Dame.

She is also founding director of Notre Dame's Children's Environmental Health Initiative.

"As chief academic officer, (Miranda) provided stability and strong, calm guidance for our faculty, staff and students during this unprecedented pandemic, all while advancing the academic mission of the university," Jenkins said in a news release. "I appreciate her dedication to the highest ideals of Our Lady's University and wish her well."

Email South Bend Tribune education reporter Carley Lanich at clanich@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @carleylanich.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame's Marie Lynn Miranda stepping down at end of month