Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Teresa Murphy will take on the role of deputy provost for academic affairs beginning in January, the University announced Monday.

Murphy will serve as the No. 2 to current Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Planning Forrest Maltzman, who will start as interim provost next semester. Provost Steven Lerman announced in August that he will step down at the end of the calendar year.

Murphy, a professor of American studies, previously served as chair of the department and helped to develop the University’s strategic plan, according to the release.

“Over the years, Terry has emphasized collaboration and transparency in her service to the college,” Maltzman said in the release. “GW is better as a result, and I look forward to partnering with her during this critical transitional period.”

In her new role, Murphy will lead GW’s upcoming reaccreditation process, which takes place once every 10 years, and will also oversee the academic space at the University according to the release.

“Over the past few decades, the university has increased its research profile and its academic standing,” Murphy said in the release. “I look forward to working with each of our schools, and with our central administration, to keep that momentum going.”

For more than two decades, Murphy has taught classes about pre-20th century United States cultural history, as well as women’s history courses. She is currently working with a Smithsonian National Museum of American History curator on a project called “The Material Life of Political Culture,” according to her faculty biography.