6-22-2007

Contact: Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748

Alutto to serve as Ohio State interim president July 1

The Ohio State University Board of Trustees today named Joseph A. Alutto (uh-LOO-toe), dean of the university's Max M. Fisher College of Business, to serve as interim president. He will formally assume the new responsibilities July 1.

"As we continue our presidential search, we are fortunate to have someone of Joe's caliber and experience at the helm of the university," said Board Chairman Gil Cloyd at the conclusion of a special trustees meeting.

"Joe is highly respected on campus, in the community, and in academic circles across the country. He is the ideal person to serve as the university's chief executive officer on an interim basis while the board searches for a permanent replacement for outgoing President Karen A. Holbrook," Cloyd added.

"I am honored to accept this position. I look forward to doing my part working with students, faculty, staff and friends to continue the great progress we are making as one of America's top public research universities," Alutto said.

Holbrook concludes her five year term as Ohio State's 13th president at the end of the fiscal year, June 30.

Cloyd and presidential search committee chair Alex Shumate said the search for Ohio State's 14th president continues on schedule.

"We remain on our timeline to name a new president to arrive on campus by autumn quarter," said Shumate, a member of the board of trustees. "In the meantime, we will continue to run a dignified process that respects the confidentiality of prospective candidates for the position."

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 serves as Executive Dean for the Professional Colleges, where he coordinates the activities of the Colleges of Education and Human Ecology, Engineering, Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Law and Social Work and represents the interests of those colleges in university-wide decision-making bodies.

Steve Mangum, senior associate dean for academic programs of the Fisher College, will become acting dean of the Fisher College of Business on July 1.

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 B.A. in business administration from Manhattan College, M.A. in industrial relations from the University of Illinois, and Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Cornell University.

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