Snyder appointed Ohio State provost

COLUMBUS – President Karen A. Holbrook announced today that she is recommending to the Board of Trustees that Barbara R. Snyder be named Executive Vice President and Provost. The Trustees will vote on the appointment at the Board\'s regular meeting this Friday (5/7).

The selection of Snyder is the culmination of a nine-month national search process by a university-wide committee of deans, faculty, students and staff representatives that drew more than 100 applicants and nominations from diverse disciplines, backgrounds and institutions. The committee then individually interviewed nine candidates from whom four finalists were selected. The finalists came to campus to meet for a second time with the search committee, interview with Trustees and participate in public forums. Although not originally a candidate, Snyder was recruited to the candidacy by the search committee, which received several nominations based upon her impressive service in the interim role since last July.

\"When I recommended that Barbara serve as the interim provost, it was because of her leadership ability, her clear understanding of the university\'s academic mission, her commitment to diversity, and the fact that she was well respected by faculty, staff, students and Trustees,\" Holbrook said. \"She has demonstrated all those qualities and more over the past nine months. She is able to make hard decisions while crafting solutions that provide the broadest benefit to all involved. She backs commitment with action, and her energy, enthusiasm and positive attitude are limitless.\"

Stephen S. Pinsky, professor of physics and chair of the University Senate Steering Committee, became chair of the committee following the retirement of Glen Hoffsis in March. He said the four finalists were highly respected, both at their universities and in their fields. \"Barbara demonstrated an unparalleled understanding of and commitment to Ohio State. Her performance in interviews and the public forums, where she clearly articulated her vision for the university\'s academic mission, earned her the committee\'s strong recommendation,\" Pinsky said.

Snyder said she is proud of what has been accomplished during the past nine months of transition, including the development of a parental leave plan for faculty and staff and major improvement in the benefits package for graduate associates.

\"It is a great honor to have earned the confidence of President Holbrook and others on our campus,\" Snyder said. \"I am fortunate to be able to work with deans and vice presidents who are outstanding academic leaders and committed colleagues, and I look forward to working with President Holbrook and our faculty, staff and students in the pursuit of excellence and our shared goal of making Ohio State one of the nation\'s top public research universities.\"

As executive vice president and provost, Snyder is the university\'s chief academic officer, the focal point for collaboration among the academic and administrative vice presidents, deans and faculty regarding the university\'s academic priorities.

Several academic leaders, including Deans Karen Bell and Joe Alutto, praised the selection of Snyder. \"I think it\'s a great appointment,\" said Alutto, dean of the Fisher College of Business. \"Barbara has a great sense of the aspirations we have as a university and has demonstrated an effective ability to work with a variety of different constituencies at the university. I think she will provide great leadership.\"

Bell agreed. \"Barbara has done an excellent job as interim provost,\" said Bell, who is dean of the College of the Arts. \"She is extremely committed to making the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences stronger. And in problem-solving she encourages dialogue, questions directly, and gets input from every side so that she makes very well-informed decisions.\"

Students serving on the search committee also were enthusiastic about her selection. Kerry Hodak, vice president of the Council of Graduate Students, and a candidate for the joint JD/PhD program in the Moritz College of Law and Department of Political Science, said Snyder \"came into a difficult situation with the Arts and Sciences restructuring and the fiscal problems the university is facing and gained the respect of the deans, students and faculty through her leadership.\"

Snyder has worked in administration since 2000, when she was named associate dean for academic affairs at the Moritz College of Law. In August 2001, she became vice provost in the Office of Academic Affairs, working closely with the Office of Human Resources to manage academic personnel appointments, leaves, and promotion and tenure review. She also served for seven months as interim vice president for University Relations before being named interim executive vice president and provost last July.

A 1976 Ohio State sociology graduate who earned a law degree from the University of Chicago in 1980, Snyder has been a member of the law faculty here since 1988. With a specialty in rules of evidence, she currently holds the Joanne W. Murphy / Classes of 1965 and 1973 Professorship in the Moritz College of Law. From 1983 to 1988, Snyder taught at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. She is the co-author of Ohio Evidence and the Ohio Rules of Evidence Handbook.

Snyder\'s service to the university and the law school has been extensive. She has served on many boards and committees, including the Wexner Center for the Arts and the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy. She was the chair of the University Promotion and Tenure Committee from 2001 to 2003 and a committee member from 1995 to 1998. She also was a member of the University Athletic Council from 1994 to 2000, serving as chair in 1997.

Snyder received the Moritz College of Law Outstanding Professor Award in 1997, the University Distinguished Affirmative Action Award in 1996, and the Mary Ann Williams Women\'s Leadership Award from the Ohio State University Association of Faculty and Professional Women in 1993.

The provost announcement is the culmination of a series of recent academic leadership appointments, including a new senior vice president for research, and deans in the colleges of Engineering, Optometry, Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

\"We are putting an exemplary leadership team in place to advance the Academic Plan and our Leadership Agenda. Each one of these individuals will contribute greatly to our progress in the coming years,\" Holbrook said.

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