SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah's first-ever Chief Safety Officer is leaving to accept a position at his alma mater.
Marlon Lynch will leave the university at the end of March to take up a similar job at Michigan State University. Lynch will be Michigan State's first vice president for public safety and chief of police.
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"It is with mixed emotions I leave Utah," Lynch said. “This new opportunity was unexpected, and my decision was not an easy one to make. In addition to enabling me to be closer to my family, I have deep connections to MSU, which is my alma mater and an institution attended by a number of my family members."
Lynch arrived at Utah in December 2019 after formerly serving in safety positions at New York University, Vanderbilt University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
The position Lynch held at Utah was created following the 2018 death of Lauren McCluskey, in which the victim attempted to warn police multiple times about the man who killed her.
“We're disappointed to be losing Marlon but wish him the very best in this new role,” said Cathy Anderson, the university's chief financial officer. “Marlon is a nationally recognized campus safety expert, so it comes as no surprise that he is highly sought after. During the year he has been with us he has transformed our university's public safety functions that traditionally reported through the chief of police.
“The new divisions and oversight committees he created have helped foster improved collaboration across campus and have resulted in dramatic improvements in the way services are provided to our campus community,” Anderson said. “These are lasting changes that establish a solid foundation for future innovation and growth.”
A search for Lynch's replacement will begin later this year.
