Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Associate Vice Provost for Extension Kris Elliott will serve as interim vice provost for the Division of Extension and Engagement and interim director of the OSU Extension Service, effective immediately.
Dr. Elliott has served in the associate vice provost role since 2022, providing oversight for OSU Extension operations, strategic plan implementation, program of work, budget oversight and more. He has also helped to support county level operations and engagement with elected officials, stakeholders and community partners. Dr. Elliott also serves as principal investigator for a five-year, $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to serve as coordinator of USDA-funded projects aiming to cultivate the next generation of research, education, and Extension professionals in food and agricultural sciences. He previously served as director of OSU Extension’s Outdoor School program. He earned his Ph.D. in Science Education from Oregon State University and his M.S. and B.S. from Cal-Poly – San Luis Obispo.
As interim vice provost/director, Dr. Elliott will lead the division until the appointment of a new vice provost, following a national search. Details regarding the search will be shared as soon as the search advisory committee and executive search firm are confirmed.
I offer my thanks to Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Rick Settersten for chairing the screening committee for the interim search. Questions regarding the national search process may be directed to Chief Assistant to the Provost Gigi Bruce. Nominations for the position are encouraged and may be sent directly to Gigi at your convenience.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Elliott and thanking him for taking on the interim role, and to our previous vice provost, Dr. Ivory Lyles, for his leadership.
Edward Feser
Provost and Executive Vice President