To: Oregon State University faculty and staff
From: Edward Feser, Provost and Executive Vice President, Acting President
April 30, 2021
Dear Oregon State Colleagues,
Following the Board of Trustees’ recent announcement that Becky Johnson will serve as Interim President of Oregon State University effective on May 1, I engaged in a series of individual and small group conversations with internal and external stakeholders in Bend and Corvallis to discuss the qualifications and characteristics required for the Interim Vice President for OSU-Cascades.
I appreciate the thoughtful input I received from students, staff, faculty, and stakeholders, and am pleased to announce that Dr. Andrew Ketsdever has agreed to serve as Interim Vice President for OSU-Cascades, effective May 1.
I make this appointment of Andrew with the knowledge and full support of Becky.
As you may know, following a national search, Andrew has served as the Dean of Academic Affairs at OSU-Cascades since June 2020. In that role, Andrew has served as senior academic campus administrator with responsibility for expanding degree programs, advancing research efforts, and leading faculty instruction and research. He has served on the OSU-Cascades leadership team and holds an appointment as professor in OSU’s School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in the College of Engineering.
Andrew joined OSU-Cascades in 2018 as an associate dean, overseeing degree programs in science, technology and engineering, and leading research and faculty diversity efforts.
Prior to joining OSU-Cascades, he was a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, where he served as department chair and was director of Online Graduate Programs for the College of Engineering and Applied Science. He was also the university’s director of the Laser, Energy and Exploration Research Center at Colorado Springs, overseeing more than $3 million in grant and other funding. In 2018, he was named the university’s College of Engineering Researcher of the Year.
Andrew earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and worked as a civilian engineer for the U.S. Air Force for 20 years, including holding a professorship at the Air Force Academy.
As Interim Vice President, Andrew will work closely with me, OSU’s college deans, and other senior academic and administrative leaders to continue the University’s drive to develop and expand OSU-Cascades.
In May, we will launch a national search for permanent leadership for OSU-Cascades.
Please join me in thanking Andrew for accepting this interim appointment.
Sincerely,
Edward Feser
Provost and Executive Vice President
Acting President