Ohio St. provost picked for U of Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas said Wednesday that it has selected Ohio State University’s chief academic officer to be its new chancellor, pending the formal approval of its board of trustees.

Joseph E. Steinmetz, who has served as Ohio State’s executive vice president and provost since 2013, would be formally introduced in a ceremony on Oct. 30 in Fayetteville, the University of Arkansas said. If approved, he would begin in the new role Jan 1.

“When you conduct a search of this scale the hope is that you’re able to identify a very high-caliber individual who is not only well qualified, but the right fit at the right time for your flagship campus,” said University of Arkansas System President Donald Bobbitt. “With the help and input of the faculty, staff, students, search committee and search firm, I feel we exceeded that expectation and I’m honored to bring Dr. Steinmetz from an institution as respected and renowned as Ohio State to the UA System. He is certainly the right chancellor at the right time to continue UA’s progress into the future.”

Steinmetz previously served as dean of the University of Kansas’ College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He also worked for 19 years at Indiana University, where he was a distinguished professor of psychological and brain sciences. He visited Arkansas last week and participated in a public forum attended by more than 450 people.