CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State University Provost and Executive Vice President Ed Feser announced today that Dan Arp, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, and Mark Zabriskie, dean of the College of Pharmacy, will step down from these university leadership roles effective June 30, 2018.

Arp, who has been dean since May 2012 and also serves as director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, will retire. Zabriskie, dean since September 2010, will return to his faculty position.

"Both Dan and Mark have had many outstanding accomplishments in these important leadership roles--not just at OSU but in the agriculture and healthcare industries respectively," Feser said. "Their contributions to the university and the state of Oregon are significant, and they personify OSU's commitment to excellence and service to the state."

Arp joined OSU's colleges of agricultural sciences and science in 1990 in a joint botany and plant pathology position that was split between the two units. He eventually headed the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology where he earned the honor of "distinguished professor." In 2008, Arp was named dean of the University Honors College, where he worked closely with students to enhance their learning experience. Four years later, he was appointed as the Reub Long Dean of Agricultural Sciences and director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station at OSU.

While serving as dean, Arp oversaw record-high student enrollment and the addition of 25 new faculty members in 2015 as the result of increased funding from the state Legislature for statewide public services. He also was instrumental in obtaining more than $40 million in private gifts and industry support for the college. A strong collaborator, Arp developed and enhanced key partnerships with agricultural commodity groups, companies, government agencies and non-governmental organizations. In 2014, he served as a co-chair of the Governor's Task Force on Genetically Engineered Seeds and Agricultural Products.

"I have tremendously enjoyed my five years of service as dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, and I look forward to doing all I can during my sixth and final year as dean," Arp said. "I am extremely proud of the progress the college has made over the past several years and our recognition as one of the world's top agriculture programs."

Oregon State has been recognized as a world-class center in agriculture and forestry, ranking 13th this year in an international survey. The listing appeared in the QS World University Rankings of approximately 200 top institutions for agriculture and forestry worldwide.

Zabriskie joined the faculty of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at OSU in 1992. He directed the college's infectious disease drug discovery program from 2005 to 2010 before being appointed dean. During his tenure as dean, Zabriskie oversaw a strong period of growth and expansion for the college and helped further extensive partnerships, including key collaborations with Oregon Health & Science University. He led initiatives to strengthen OSU's presence in Portland and further the College of Pharmacy's collaboration with OHSU. He represented OSU on the construction and management of the Collaborative Life Sciences Building that opened in 2014 on OHSU's South Waterfront campus in Portland. This facility is a partnership among OHSU, OSU and Portland State University. Zabriskie also oversaw OSU's role in the new partnership with the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute focused on cancer prevention and control.

In the past seven years, the college experienced a 35 percent increase in faculty and staff; a 40 percent increase in external grant support and research expenditures; and doubled the number of graduate research and teaching assistantships. Over the same period, scholarship support for OSU PharmD students (those pursuing professional doctorates to practice pharmacy) increased by 30 percent.

"The opportunity seven years ago to serve at the helm of the college turned into one of the most rewarding times of my career," Zabriskie said. "Nothing has made the job more fulfilling to me than the support of the outstanding faculty and staff I had the good fortune to serve, and I'm extremely proud of the accomplishments we've made together."

Zabriskie has maintained an active research program while serving as dean and will return to the faculty as a professor of pharmaceutical sciences next July. His research involves the discovery, biosynthesis and development of natural product antimicrobial agents.

Feser will launch national searches for both dean positions immediately.  

Story By: 

Annie Athon Heck, 541-737-0790

Source: 

Click photos to see a full-size version. Right click and save image to download.