Belinda Batten, a senior advisor to the provost for strategic initiatives, has been appointed to temporarily take over as acting provost and executive vice president starting April 1.

Provost and Executive Vice President Edward Feser, announced his resignation in December, following his appointment to be the next president of Saint Louis University. Batten will fill Feser’s role in the interim while Oregon State University continues to search for a permanent replacement, according to a Jan. 31 press release from President Jayathi Murthy. 

“I am most looking forward to serving OSU in this important role,” Batten said in an email. “I came to OSU in 1993 as an assistant professor and have had a long and rewarding career. Since 2003, my roles have been primarily in leadership.”

Batten has worn many hats in her 27 years of experience at OSU. Some of her roles include professor of mechanical engineering, the head of the mechanical engineering department, the executive associate dean of the college of engineering, and, currently, senior advisor to the provost.

In her present position, Batten has assisted in implementing the Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex and other projects, according to the press release.

Batten has worked alongside Feser for four years, she shared in the email. “In my current role, I am part of the provost’s senior leadership team and meet regularly with that team and with the deans, so I already have strong relationships on which I can build,” she said. 

Batten said she will work with Feser to initiate the transition in the next couple of months. When she assumes Feser’s role, she will oversee the university’s academic colleges, the OSU-Cascades campus, and a myriad of other departments, the press release said.

Batten said she looks forward to working more closely with President Jayathi Murthy and her team. 

“The university has an incredible team of strong and talented leaders who work well together, and being able to work with those individuals in this new way for the good of everyone at OSU is tremendously exciting,” Batten said. 

The search for a permanent replacement is ongoing. More information about the selection process can be found at this website.