Dear Friends of OSU-Cascades,

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Dr. Sherman (Sherm) Bloomer as Oregon State University’s new Chancellor and Dean for OSU-Cascades, effective May 1.

Dr. Bloomer brings broad and deep experience to the role. He has served the university since 2012 as associate vice president for budget and resource planning, with responsibility for oversight of the development of the university’s education and general funds budget, provision of university-wide fiscal planning support, development of tuition rate projections and tuition recommendations for university senior leadership, and budget management and reporting. In this role, he has been widely praised for his efforts to bring clarity and transparency to the university’s budget process and for his efforts to include faculty, staff, and student voices in the process.

Dr. Bloomer came to OSU in 1995 to serve as the chair of the Department of Geosciences in the College of Science, which is now a part of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. He then served as dean for the College of Science for 11 years and worked with colleagues on the university’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, which successfully helped to construct the Linus Pauling Science Center, which includes instructional space for introductory chemistry classes, research laboratories for the Department of Chemistry and the Linus Pauling Institute, and the university’s electron microscope facilities.

Dr. Bloomer has taught across the curriculum including courses for general education science students, geology majors, and graduate students in geochemistry and marine geology. He has co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles, led and participated in a variety of oceanographic expeditions, and his work has been supported by over $1 million in grant and contract awards. He holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in geology from Rice University and a Ph.D. degree in earth sciences from the University of California at San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Dr. Bloomer’s appointment follows Dr. Andrew Ketsdever’s service as interim vice president. Andrew stepped into the interim role in May 2021 following Becky Johnson’s appointment as OSU’s interim president, and he led the campus with great dedication during a period of transition for both OSU-Cascades and the university, helping to advance progress on key initiatives like the innovation district and a new student career planning program (Cascades Edge). I am delighted he has agreed to continue as a key member of the OSU-Cascades leadership team, resuming his dean of academic affairs role on May 1. Please join me in thanking him for his leadership at a critical time for OSU-Cascades and OSU.

President Murthy and I thank each of you for your contributions to OSU-Cascades and for your involvement in the important process to help select OSU-Cascades new chancellor and dean.

Between May 1 and August 1, he will split his time leading OSU-Cascades and assisting the Office of Budget and Resource Planning with the close-out of the fiscal year and the transition to interim leadership.

We will soon schedule welcome events to introduce Dr. Bloomer to OSU-Cascades colleagues and the Central Oregon community. We will share details at the earliest opportunity.

Sincerely,

Edward Feser

Provost and Executive Vice President

Oregon State University