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BEND - Jay Casbon, dean of the Graduate School of Professional Studies at Lewis and Clark College in Portland and an expert in educational administration, has been named the new campus executive officer of the Oregon State University-Cascades Campus.

The selection of Casbon culminates an extensive search for the person who will permanently lead Oregon's newest institution of higher education in its early years of development. He is an educator with vision and a proven record of scholarly and administrative accomplishments in higher education, said Tim White, provost and executive vice president of OSU.

"Jay Casbon clearly has the drive, ability, experience and commitment to OSU-Cascades Campus that will establish it as a 21st century university," White said. "We now begin the next chapter in the development of the campus as it provides residents of Central Oregon the type of institution they want and have worked for so long to achieve.

"There's a huge amount of work to do and programs to develop with the community's support," White added. "We are very enthused about this appointment, and we feel strongly that OSU-Cascades now has the leadership it needs."

Casbon will begin in the new position on July 1, and will participate in planning sessions between now and then. He said his first priorities will be to work with others to engage Central Oregon's fast-paced, modern economy, continue to build a world-class faculty, implement a quality curriculum, seek effective student engagement, and invite others to join in the creation of a new kind of university.

Casbon directs a school at Lewis and Clark College with an $8 million budget, a faculty of 30 and a staff of 32 people. Under his leadership, the school in the past five years has acquired a new campus and home, implemented partnership arrangements with other institutions of higher education, significantly increased the diversity of the faculty and student population, increased its endowment by $4 million, and received $5 million in grants for research and student education.

Casbon said he plans to implement a collaborative style of leadership at the OSU-Cascades Campus, seeking input from faculty, students, and other educational and community leaders. His emphasis will be on building relationships both within the university and outside its walls, Casbon said, while the new campus develops programs, recruits more students, effectively manages its budgets and increases fundraising efforts.

Casbon received his doctorate from the University of Alabama in 1981.

Among other career accomplishments, he has developed and implemented a leadership program for educational leaders in Central Oregon; worked with the College Board in development of testing programs; participated in Educational Trust, a group that works to improve access to education for all students; and is a leader in Courage to Teach, a program that works with college professors on teaching issues. An outdoor enthusiast, Casbon has spent much time in Central Oregon and also has a lifelong interest in astronomy.

Roy Arnold, who has served as CEO of the OSU-Cascades Campus during the search, will return fully to his executive dean duties in the College of Agricultural Sciences at the university, officials said.