Finalists named in search for Ohio State Provost

COLUMBUS – Four finalists have been selected for the position of executive vice president and provost at The Ohio State University following a national search.

The finalists are David Daniel, dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Cristina Gonzalez, senior adviser to the Chancellor, University of California, Davis; Elizabeth Langland, dean of humanities, arts and cultural studies, University of California, Davis; and Barbara Snyder, interim executive vice president and provost, The Ohio State University.

Glenn Hoffsis, executive dean of health sciences, dean of veterinary medicine and chair of the search committee, said the candidates will now participate in a series of interviews with representatives of various constituencies in the Ohio State community, including President Karen A. Holbrook, the Board of Trustees, vice presidents, deans and department chairs, and faculty, staff and students. In addition to interviews and meetings, each candidate will participate in a public forum where they will offer brief remarks and then respond to questions from the audience.

After the interviews, the committee will process the information and provide final evaluations and a recommendation to the president.

Hoffsis said the 18-member committee diligently sought candidates who understood and could contribute greatly to the academic mission and goals of Ohio State.

“President Holbrook charged us with conducting an open and unbiased search to recruit, screen and identify the most suitable applicants,” Hoffsis said. “I believe we have fulfilled that mission and are pleased to present a slate of eminently qualified candidates.”

Forum details, along with additional information about the four finalists, will soon be communicated through OSUToday and online at http://www.osu.edu/provostsearch

Joining Hoffsis on the 18-member search committee were: Deborah A. Ballam, professor of business; Paul A. Beck, chair and professor of political science; Joseph Branin, director of The Ohio State University Libraries; Bernard L. Erven, professor of agricultural, environmental, and development economics; Evelyn B. Freeman, dean of the Mansfield Campus; William H. Hall, vice president for student affairs; Joan M. Herbers, dean of biological sciences; Kerry M. Hodak, chair of the Council on Student Affairs; Douglas C. Lance Jr., chair of the University Staff Advisory Committee; L. James Lee, professor of chemical engineering and director of the NSF Center for Advanced Polymer and Composite Engineering; William T. McDaniel Jr., professor of African-American and African studies and music, and director of jazz studies; Deborah J. Merritt, director of the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy and professor of law; Terry A. Miller, Ohio Eminent Scholar and professor of physical chemistry; Electra D. Paskett, chair and professor of cancer research in the School of Public Health; Stephen S. Pinsky, professor of physics and chair of the University Senate Steering Committee; Frank R. Sasso, undergraduate student, Fisher College of Business; David E. Schuller, director of the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute; and Mac A. Stewart, vice provost for minority affairs.