By Jill Shockey, Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK – Bruce McPheron, dean of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named vice president for agricultural administration and dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University, his undergraduate alma mater.
He will report directly to Joseph A. Alutto, executive vice president and provost. McPheron’s appointment is effective Nov. 1, pending approval by the board of trustees of Ohio State. Penn State will appoint an interim dean and initiate a national search to identify McPheron’s successor, with the objective of having a new dean in place by July 1, 2013.
“For more than two decades Bruce has been an exemplary steward of Penn State’s land-grant mission, most recently having led the College of Agricultural Sciences through perhaps its most challenging era,” said Penn State President Rodney Erickson. “Bruce has led the college through a difficult period of shrinking public resources, and through a strong strategic planning process involving many constituencies, has positioned Penn State agricultural sciences as a more focused, more efficient operation for the years to come. I am grateful for his 24 years of service and wish him well as he returns to his alma mater and this vice presidency.”
McPheron earned a bachelor of science degree in entomology at Ohio State and a master’s degree in biology and doctoral degree in entomology, both from the University of Illinois. He began his faculty career at Penn State in 1988 as assistant professor of entomology, and became associate professor in 1994 and professor in 2000. McPheron’s scholarly research and teaching interests focused on many topics in agriculture, including entomology, agricultural biosecurity, systematics and international agriculture. In 2002 he was named associate dean and director of the agricultural experiment station. He was appointed dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences on July 1, 2009.
“I’m going home, and the opportunity does fill me with excitement and anticipation, but there is a bittersweet edge to those emotions,” said McPheron. “It is hard to think of leaving my family’s home for the past 24 years. Penn State and the College of Agricultural Sciences have given me an extraordinary set of opportunities throughout my career, including the honor of leading an exceptional group of employees and friends and a chance to learn about and advocate for the research excellence of my colleagues as dean of the college.”