Committee Chosen to Select OSU President

The people who will be searching for the new president for Oregon State University have been chosen. The 18 member team will include: 

• Julia Manning, member of the Board of Trustees, committee chair 

• Patty Bedient, member of the Board of Trustees 
• Julia Brim-Edwards, member of the Board of Trustees 
• Maria Chávez-Haroldson, member of the Board of Trustees 
• Bob Cowen, director of the Hatfield Marine Science Center; professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences 
• Marissa Cuno, accountant in the Health Sciences Business Center, classified staff representative 

• Taha Elwefati, student of social sciences; president of the Associated Students of the Cascades Campus 
• Lauren Gwin, associate professor in the Department of Crop & Soil Science; associate director of OSU’s Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems; community food systems specialist for OSU Extension 
• Kim Kirkland, executive director for the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access 
• Kate MacTavish, associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences 
• Erika McCalpine, Faculty Senate president-elect; OSU-Cascades executive director of strategic diversity initiatives; director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Laboratory; instructor, business administration 

• Maija Pham, student of radiation health physics 
• Alan Sams, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences; director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station 
• Michael Schill, president of the University of Oregon 
• Eric Schoenstein, board chair of the Oregon State University Foundation 
• Scott Vignos, interim vice president and chief diversity officer 

• Virginia Weis, university distinguished professor of integrative biology 
• Member from the broader community, to be announced
  

Committee members were selected by OSU Board of Trustee Chair, Rani Borkar, and are meant to reflect the community as a whole. 

An email to OSU students and staff reads: “The search committee, with support from an executive search firm, will seek feedback from the public and university community on presidential qualifications and nominations. Later in the process, open community forums with finalists will be held. These listening sessions and public forums will be announced as they are scheduled.” 

A new president needs to be chosen as F. King Alexander was allowed to resign amid mounting pressure from an assumed cover-up of rape allegations from his time at Louisiana State University. 

By Sally K Lehman