KEITH ALLEY NAMED INTERIM VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH
COLUMBUS -- Keith E. Alley, professor and chair of the Section of Oral Biology in the College of Dentistry, has been named interim vice president for research at The Ohio State University, effective Nov. 1. The Board of Trustees approved Alley's nomination Friday (10/1).
Alley, who also holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Anatomy and Medical Education in the College of Medicine and Public Health, succeeds William A. Baeslack III. Baeslack, interim vice president since May 1998, is leaving Ohio State to become dean of the School of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Alley's appointment is effective through June 30, 2000, or until a permanent appointment is made.
At Ohio State, Alley, of UPPER ARLINGTON, has been chair of oral biology since 1985 and was associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Dentistry from 1991 to 1998. His research interests, supported by more than $1.73 million in grants, include developmental neuromuscular plasticity in the orofacial system; regulation of motorneuronal growth and plasticity; and cell and molecular aspects of wound healing. Alley is the co-author of the book Permar's Oral Embryology and Microscopy (1999) and has sustained an active research career, publishing dozens of articles and abstracts. He also has been instrumental in developing courses and curriculum in the oral biology and neurobiology doctoral programs.
Alley's record of service to the college, the university and his discipline is extensive. He has served on numerous planning, review and search panels, as well as his college's Promotion and Tenure Committee. He is past president of the Neuroscience Group of the International Association for Dental Research, and is a former reviewer for National Science Foundation (NSF) grants and National Institutes of Health (NIH) site visits.
At Ohio State, he served on University Senate from 1989 to 1992 and was a member of the Research Commission, which conducted a comprehensive analysis of research at the university and in 1998 issued a report recommending a variety of initiatives to enhance investments in and advancement of research and graduate studies.
"Keith Alley is a nationally known and highly respected scholar who is committed, as a member of the Research Commission, to keeping the implementation process going forward during the transition period in the Office of Research," said Edward J. Ray, executive vice president and provost. "He is an outstanding citizen of the academy, and we are fortunate to have someone of his stature accept the interim vice presidency at a time when we need to maintain momentum in this critical area of university life."
Before joining Ohio State in 1985, Alley served on the faculty of the schools of Medicine and Dentistry at Case Western Reserve University for 11 years. He also was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Iowa's Division of Neurophysiology from 1972 to 1974, and was a predoctoral trainee in the University of Illinois Department of Anatomy from 1968 to 1972.
A member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of Dental Schools, the Society for Neuroscience and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Alley also has held two NIH fellowships, received an NIH Research Career Development Award and received five teaching excellence awards at Case Western.
Alley holds four degrees from the University of Illinois: Ph.D. and master's degrees in anatomy, a doctor of dental surgery (DDS) degree, and a bachelor's degree in biology.
Contact: Edward Ray, Academic Affairs, (614) 292-5881
Keith Alley, Dentistry, (614) 292-5527