Business college dean to be interim OSU chief

6/23/2007

COLUMBUS - The dean of Ohio State University's business college will serve as the university's interim presiden, beginning July 1, while its board of trustees continues its search to replace Karen Holbrook, whose retirement begins at the end of the month.

University trustees yesterday appointed Joseph Alutto, dean of the university's Fisher college of business since 1991, to serve during the search, the university said.

"As we continue our presidential search, we are fortunate to have someone of Joe's caliber and experience at the helm of the university," trustees' Chairman Gil Cloyd said. "He is the ideal person to serve as the university's chief executive officer on an interim basis."

Trustee Alex Shumate, chairman of the presidential search committee, said the search remains on schedule. The university continues to refuse to release the names of candidates.

"We will continue to run a dignified process that respects the confidentiality of prospective candidates for the position," Mr. Shumate said.

Ohio State is paying a Chicago-based company $175,000 to help Mr. Shumate's 24-member search committee identify candidates.

Ms. Holbrook gave one year's notice. The university release did not say how much longer the search was expected to last.

University spokesman Shelly Hoffman said she could not comment on the activities of the search committee. Mr. Alutto's salary has not been determined, Ms. Hoffman said.

Mr. Alutto, 65, said he had not applied for the position of president and his only interest was moving the university forward academically. He said he did not know how long he would serve as interim president.

"That's really up to the search committee and they hope to have that person on board in the fall," Mr. Alutto said.

Mr. Alutto also holds the John Berry Sr. Chair in Business and is a professor of management and human resources. He is the executive dean for the professional colleges, coordinating the activities of the Colleges of Education, Human Ecology, Engineering, Law, Social Work, and Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and represents them in decision-making bodies universitywide.

Mr. Alutto specializes in managerial behavior. He has published a book and more than 65 articles in academic journals, the university said.

Before joining Ohio State, Mr. Alutto was a professor of management at the State University of New York at Buffalo. His research focused on joint ventures between China and the United States. He was dean of the SUNY-Buffalo School of Management from 1976 to 1990. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Manhattan College, a master's in industrial relations from the University of Illinois, and a doctorate in organizational behavior from Cornell University.

Ms. Holbrook, Ohio State's 13th president, has served for five years.

The school's Columbus campus had 51,818 students during the last school year - the highest enrollment nationally at a public university.