Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the University Leadership Research topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
President Jayathi Murthy highlights research wins, enrollment gains and provost departure ahead of national search
Summary
President Jayathi Murthy told trustees OSU’s research and enrollment indicators are improving, reported a $45 million EDA award for a Corvallis microfluidics hub and said Provost Ed Fazer will leave March 31 to become president of Saint Louis University; a national search has launched.
President Jayathi Murthy told the board on Jan. 17 that Oregon State University is seeing early enrollment gains, advancing major research proposals and preparing for a national search for a new provost.
Provost transition: Murthy announced that Provost and Executive Vice President Ed Fazer accepted an appointment as president of Saint Louis University and will remain in the provost role through March 31. The university has launched a national search for his replacement and said an interim provost will be named soon.
Enrollment and student success: Murthy reported registrations on the first day of winter term were up nearly 3 percent by headcount and more than 4 percent by credit hours; first‑year applications for fall were up about 4 percent from the same point last year. She said the university will hold summits in spring and fall tied to its strategic plan, including a student‑success summit planned for April 22 and a fall research summit.
Research and federal funding: Murthy reported that the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded $45,000,000 to support the Corvallis microfluidics technology hub (CoreMEC), which will renovate and equip space on the HP campus in Corvallis for microfluidics research and development. She said OSU is also participating in multiple large proposals to the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and that a multistate proposal for advanced semiconductor technology is moving forward with industry partners including Intel and the Technology Association of Oregon.
Other items: Murthy highlighted the opening of OSU Cascades’ Student Success Center in Bend and said student donor contributions of $5,000,000 supported the building. She also noted fundraising momentum and priorities tied to the university’s strategic plan, including Finish in 4 and a student success fundraising effort.
Why this matters: The combination of federal awards, competitive research proposals and early enrollment gains factor into OSU’s strategic goal of expanding research expenditure and improving graduation rates. The provost transition sets a near‑term leadership task: identify and install an interim and then a permanent provost to carry the strategic plan into its next phase.
Ending: Murthy said the administration will continue implementation work tied to the strategic plan and pledged to advocate for state investment in higher education during the legislative session.
