I write to share that Jared Gardner has decided to step down at the end of June from his role as secretary of the University Senate. Jared has generously offered to continue serving the Senate during the 2026-27 academic year in a consultative role to assist with the transition and support the Senate office. He will also maintain his faculty responsibilities as the Joseph V. Denney Designated Professor in the Department of English.
Jared is a champion of shared governance across the university’s faculty, staff and student constituencies, and I appreciate his exemplary service to Ohio State. Moreover, I admire and respect Jared’s arrival at a personal decision that is best for him, his family and his colleagues.
Applications for secretary
In the spirit of our commitment to shared governance, I invite applications for our next secretary of the University Senate. The secretary will serve a three-year term, beginning this summer.
Applications should be submitted to the University Senate office via senate@osu.edu by Monday, April 27. Applicants should provide a letter that outlines their qualifications and a current curriculum vitae. The applications will be shared with the University Senate Steering Committee, which will identify three finalists and present them to President Ravi V. Bellamkonda, who will make the final appointment.
The secretary must be a tenured faculty member who is available to serve a three-year term with at least .5 FTE assigned to the role throughout the calendar year. The University Senate has developed a list of suggested qualifications for this position.
The responsibilities of the secretary of the University Senate are detailed in Rule 3335-5-45.2(B):
- Serve as a resource person for members of the university community on matters relating to university governance and to activities of the university senate.
- Promote active, effective participation in university governance by the members of the constituencies of the university senate.
- Coordinate the responsibilities of the office of the university senate as described in rule 3335-19-09 of the Administrative Code.
- Serve as a voting member of the rules committee and a non-voting member of the steering committee of the university senate.
- Serve as a resource person for university and senate committees.
- Issue notification of senate meetings, agendas, and reports of senate actions in accordance with rule 3335-19-11 of the Administrative Code.
- Keep the records of the meetings of the university senate and furnish to the president for report to the board of trustees all matters passed by the university senate requiring board of trustees approval or action.
Questions about the position or the process may be directed to senate@osu.edu.
Once again, I deeply appreciate Jared’s exceptional service to Ohio State and the University Senate. I’m looking forward to his continued collaboration during the next academic year as we welcome a new secretary.
Sincerely,
Trevor Brown
Interim Executive Vice President and Provost