COLUMBUS -- Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray, with the concurrence of President William E. Kirwan, has recommended the appointment of Richard W. Hall as interim dean of the College of Biological Sciences at The Ohio State University, pending approval by the Board of Trustees.  Hall currently serves as associate dean of the College of Biological Sciences.

The appointment, effective Sept. 1 through June 30, 2002, will go before the board at its next meeting on May 4. 

In announcing the recommendation today, Ray said, “My recommendation to appoint Rich as interim dean is based upon his understanding of the college as well as his established organizational and administrative skills.  I am confident that Rich’s talents, experience and skills will help the college advance biological sciences in alignment with the university’s mission.”

This announcement follows current Dean Alan G. Goodridge’s decision not to seek reappointment.

Hall has served as the associate dean for the College of Biological Sciences since 1990 and was named acting dean in 1995.  He joined the Ohio State faculty in 1982 as an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology and was named an associate professor in 1988. 

“I look forward to working with our faculty, staff and students along with the central administration to continue strengthening the College of Biological Sciences,” Hall said.

Prior to coming to Ohio State, Hall was a post-graduate research entomologist for the Department of Entomology at the University of California, Davis.   He earned his doctorate from that university in 1977 and earned his bachelor’s degree in biology in 1973 from San Francisco State University.

        A national search for a permanent dean of the College of Biological Sciences will begin immediately.