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Research Vice President John Cassady will retire later this year, while College of Pharmacy Dean Wayne Kradjan will return to the faculty. They will remain in their positions while the university conducts national searches for their successors.

Cassady joined OSU in 2005 after having worked for nearly 40 years at Ohio State University and Purdue University. He served as dean of Ohio State's pharmacy college and as department chair of medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy at Purdue.

Under his leadership, OSU's research enterprise has expanded significantly. Research facilities have been expanded, a development plan for increasing OSU-corporate relationships has been created, technology transfer and commercialization activities have increased and research contracts and grants have gone up from $177 million when he was hired to $231 million in the most recently completed fiscal year.

Kradjan, an expert in pharmacotherapy, has served as dean of the OSU College of Pharmacy since 1999 and led the implementation of the doctor of pharmacy, or Pharm.D. program - a degree that is highly sought across the nation. Graduates of the Pharm.D. program have achieved a 100 percent first-time passing rate on the national licensing exam for the last two years. He also worked with Oregon Health and Science University to move the Portland-based faculty and staff into a new location on OHSU's south waterfront campus, supported the development of a "signature area" focused on drug discovery for infectious diseases, and in the public health arena helped develop ways to provide medications safely and affordably.

Kradjan served on the faculty at the University of Washington for 28 years and has research interests in promoting improved pharmacy services to the public and medication therapy management of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure and diabetes. He will continue that work as a member of the OSU Pharmacy faculty.

OSU Provost and Executive Vice President Sabah Randhawa said that OSU Dean of Science Sherm Bloomer will chair the search for a new research vice president, while Health and Human Sciences Dean Tammy Bray will lead the search for a pharmacy dean.

"Both John and Wayne have made invaluable contributions to the success of our research and instruction efforts at OSU, and we are deeply grateful for their service," said Randhawa.