New CFAES Position to Oversee Facilities and Faculty Talent

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A newly created position within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) at The Ohio State University will initially oversee facility and capital planning and academic personnel.

Ron Hendrick, director of the School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR), will begin his new role as senior associate dean June 1. 

“The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences is one of the most complex operations within Ohio State, and Ron Hendrick brings proven skills in strategic and operational leadership to help us achieve our potential,” said Bruce McPheron, Ohio State’s vice president for agricultural administration and dean of the college.

“Our focus on student success -- both in resident instruction and in outreach education through OSU Extension -- and our internationally recognized research portfolio will benefit from Ron’s new role. He will ensure that we maximize the impact of our people, our infrastructure and our financial resources in achieving our mission,” McPheron said.

Hendrick said he will take a comprehensive look at the college’s aging infrastructure in light of current and future needs.

“We’ll do this with an eye toward how we can more fully integrate and be physically connected with each other and the rest of the university,” he said, considering the role facilities will play in the university’s Discovery Themes -- Energy and Environment, Food Production and Security, and Health and Wellness.

More than 100 CFAES faculty are eligible to retire, and up to 30 percent of the college faculty will be eligible in the next few years. The college will not simply fill those positions, Hendrick said, but will consider what talent is critical for full participation in the Discovery Themes and emerging issues.

“How do we create positions in a way to leverage what we do here, a way that makes us more efficient, effective and impactful, and potentially connects us to other colleges or stakeholders?” Hendrick said.

He also plans to work on recruitment and retention strategies and to make the promotion and tenure process more compatible across departments and the college.

Hendrick took over as director of the school in 2009. Previously he was associate dean of the D. B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. He earned his doctorate in forest ecology from Michigan State University.

Jeff Sharp, SENR professor, will serve as interim director of the school, also starting June 1.  

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