Alutto named Ohio State University provost

COLUMBUS – President E. Gordon Gee announced today (10/11) that he is appointing Joseph A. Alutto as executive vice president and provost for The Ohio State University.

Formerly dean of Ohio State's Max M. Fisher College of Business, Alutto served as the university's interim president July 1 through September 30, following the retirement of former President Karen A. Holbrook. In addition, he has also been serving as interim provost since July 1, when former Provost Barbara R. Snyder became president of Case Western Reserve University.

"Joe is the perfect candidate for provost of one of our nation's top research universities," said Gee. "For the past 30 years – including 16 at Ohio State – he has devoted his career to providing access to excellence in public higher education.

"I have known Joe for many years, and am proud to say that I hired him to be the dean of the Fisher College of Business during my first tenure at Ohio State. He has served the university admirably. Joe is a highly regarded leader in the community, on campus and in academic circles across the nation."

As executive vice president and provost, Alutto will be the university's chief academic officer, overseeing collaboration among the academic and administrative vice presidents, deans and faculty regarding Ohio State's academic priorities.

Alutto, 65, has been a faculty member and administrator at Ohio State since 1991, when he was appointed dean of the Fisher College, where he holds the John W. Berry Sr. Chair in Business and is a professor of management and human resources. Alutto also served as Executive Dean for the Professional Colleges, where he coordinated the activities of the Colleges of Education and Human Ecology, Engineering, Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Law and Social Work and represented the interests of those colleges in university-wide decision-making bodies.

Stephen L. Mangum is currently serving as acting dean and senior associate dean of the Fisher College of Business.

Alutto is a leading authority on managerial behavior, having published a book and more than 65 articles in academic journals. His research expertise also includes joint ventures, corporate and individual performance, management education and Sino-U.S. economic activity. He has lectured widely in Asia on management issues, and in 1984 pioneered the first Sino-U.S. jointly funded MBA program offered in the People's Republic of China.

Before joining Ohio State, Alutto was the Clarence S. Marsh Professor of Management at the State University of New York at Buffalo, focusing his research on Sino-U.S. joint ventures and the relationships between improvement processes and corporate performance. He also served as Dean of the SUNY-Buffalo School of Management from 1976 to 1990.

Alutto earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Manhattan College, a master's in industrial relations from the University of Illinois, and a doctorate in organizational behavior from Cornell University.

His new appointment is subject to board of trustees' approval, which is expected at the board's next regular meeting on Nov. 2, 2007.