Katherine Newman might not have been selected as the permanent chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston, but she will remain in the public university system with a much expanded role.
Newman will become a system chancellor of academic programs, a newly created position, which will include oversight of both teaching and research and economic development, the university system announced on Thursday.
The new role will take her back to working in UMass president Martin T. Meehan’s office.
Meehan dispatched Newman to be interim chancellor of UMass Boston in 2018, after a search for a new leader of that campus collapsed due to faculty opposition.
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The public university system relaunched a chancellor search last year, and Newman was among the leading candidates for the permanent role. But last month, just before the search committee announced the finalists for the job, Newman withdrew her name. Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, a University of California Los Angeles dean, was the sole finalist and earlier this week officially got the job.
Suárez-Orozco is expected to start as chancellor of UMass Boston this summer, and Newman will transition to her new role in the central administration, according to university officials.
“I am excited to return to the Office of the President as the university pursues new opportunities and seeks to expand its impact throughout the Commonwealth and beyond,’’ Newman said in a statement.
University officials did not provide information on Thursday about how much Newman will be paid in her new position.
Deirdre Fernandes can be reached at deirdre.fernandes@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @fernandesglobe.