The vice provost for faculty affairs and a professor of law will serve as the interim dean of the law school, according to a University release Thursday.

Christopher Bracey, who joined the law school in 2008 and served as vice provost since 2016, will head the school after Dean Blake Morant steps down at the end of the academic year to take a sabbatical and return to the law school’s faculty. Morant has held the post of law school dean for almost five years.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to now work more closely with my faculty and staff colleagues in the law school to build upon the strong foundation created by Dean Morant,” Bracey said in the release.

While serving as vice provost, Bracey announced a new evaluation process for the deans of each of GW’s 10 schools that allows students, faculty, staff and alumni to comment on the job performance of their school’s leader. This past summer, Bracey worked with five other top administrators to define the University’s institutional culture and devise solutions to improve it.

“Chris Bracey is a well-suited selection to lead the law school during this period of transition,” Provost Forrest Maltzman said in the release.

The search for the next dean began last month, with Ralph Steinhardt, a professor of comparative law and jurisprudence, serving as chair of the search committee, the release states. Law school officials have hired the services of the executive search firm Isaacson Miller to help with the search.

Bracey said he does not intend to be a candidate for the permanent law school dean position, according to the release.

“I am grateful that he has accepted the role of interim dean and confident that he will provide excellent leadership at GW Law,” Maltzman said.