UCLA and Texas administrators are finalists for OSU president’s job, will interview Monday and Tuesday

By OSU News Service

CORVALLIS – The Oregon State University Board of Trustees on Friday announced the names of two finalist candidates seeking to serve as OSU’s next president. The candidates will visit OSU’s Corvallis campus on Monday, May 23, and Tuesday, May 24.

The candidates are Jayathi Y. Murthy, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and Charles R. Martinez, Jr., dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin.

“We are very pleased to have such excellent and highly qualified finalists,” said Kirk Schueler, chair of the university’s board of trustees. “I see a very bright future ahead for Oregon State University. OSU’s significant momentum and impact is being felt throughout Oregon, the nation and the world, and will only grow with the leadership of the university’s next president.”

On Monday, May 23, community conversations with Martinez will be held from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. and from 1 to 1:45 p.m. in OSU’s Memorial Union Journey Room, and a university forum, including a candidate presentation, will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. in the MU Horizon Room. The OSU Board of Trustees will interview Martinez in executive session Monday at 8 a.m.

On Tuesday, May 24, community conversations with Murthy will be held from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. and from 1 to 1:45 p.m. in the Memorial Union Journey Room, and a university forum, including a candidate presentation, will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. in the MU Horizon Room. The OSU Board of Trustees will interview Murthy in executive session Tuesday at 8 a.m.

The community conversations and forums are open to the public and will be held in-person, streamed live and recorded with a link for later viewing available on the presidential search website. The search website also will have a link for OSU community members and stakeholders to provide feedback on the candidates.

Schueler said trustees anticipate selecting OSU’s next president on June 3 or 7.

At the board meeting Friday, trustees voted unanimously to approve reimbursing finalists for reasonable travel expenses. The board also voted unanimously to approve reimbursing each finalist for reasonable expenses – not to exceed $5,000 – for legal and financial advisors used in negotiating a draft contract with the university.

Just prior to meeting in public session as a board, trustees met in executive session in accordance with Oregon law to discuss which candidates to bring to the OSU Corvallis campus as finalists.

OSU’s national search for a new president evaluated dozens of candidates and has been aided by a presidential search advisory committee. Trustees interviewed six candidates and considered four semi-finalist candidates before announcing the two finalists to visit OSU’s Corvallis campus.

The search process was informed by input from university community members and stakeholders via a web survey and during 15 listening sessions regarding what qualities and qualifications OSU’s next president should possess, and what opportunities and challenges face the university in the future.

The search process has included background checks and due diligence reviews of candidates to be advanced to campus visits. The reviews were undertaken by OSU’s Office of Human Resources and the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. OSU’s Board of Trustees also engaged an independent contractor to conduct comprehensive background checks of finalist candidates to visit Oregon State.