College of Science Leadership Transition

May 17, 2022

17 May 2022

Dear Oregon State Colleagues,

I write to share that Dr. Roy Haggerty, dean of OSU’s College of Science since 2017 has announced his plans to accept a position as Executive Vice President and Provost at Louisiana State University effective on August 1. I offer my warm congratulations to Roy on this appointment and thank him for his many contributions while at Oregon State University.

In his time as dean, Roy led the college to an increase in research funding of more than 50 percent, including the establishment of two research centers, the National Science Foundation-funded North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) and the National Institutes of Health-funded Genetic Code Expansion for Biomedical Research (GCE4ALL). He has been a tireless supporter of building strong departments and faculty as the fundamental building blocks of a great university. As he steps down in July, he will have overseen the hiring of more than one-fifth of the current faculty in the College of Science.

Among Roy’s many accomplishments include addressing a significant structural budget deficit in the college; increasing enrollment, particularly via Ecampus; and bringing the first two undergraduate science degrees online. Under Roy’s leadership, the college wrote and is now implementing its first diversity action plan and appointed a full-time director of equity, access, and inclusion. All the college’s current associate deans and directors are women or members of underrepresented communities, and forty-three percent of the tenure-track faculty hires made during his deanship are from diverse backgrounds. Another forty-three percent identify as women.

Roy has been a valued member of the Provost’s Council of Deans and a highly collaborative colleague. He is passionate about serving the entire university. He co-led the university-wide Undergraduate Student Success Initiative and was a key force in establishing the faculty-student mentoring program, Beaver Connect, which has now mentored more than 1,200 students and significantly increased retention among participants. There are about one hundred students who have graduated from OSU or who are working toward graduating who would not have completed college if it had not been for this program.

At the start of pandemic, Roy was an early and persuasive advocate for fast and decisive action on the part of OSU, and he co-founded the TRACE program, which tested 80,000 people for COVID-19 at OSU and across Oregon. The program garnered national attention and showed, once again, how OSU is an incredible resource for the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

Shortly I will consult with College of Science faculty and staff on the appointment of interim leadership, prior to commencing a national search for a new dean. Nominations for both roles are welcome. Email pertinent information to Gigi Bruce, chief assistant to the provost.

Please join me in congratulating Roy on his appointment as LSU’s Executive Vice President and Provost and wishing him well in this new role.

Edward Feser

Provost and Executive Vice President