A Penn State faculty member of nearly two decades will be the new dean of the university’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
Troy Ott, who currently serves as interim director of Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, will step into the role on July 1, the university announced on Tuesday. He succeeds Rick Roush, who retired in September after nine years as dean, and Laszlo Kulcsar, professor of rural sociology and demography, who served as interim dean of the college for the last nine months.
“Dr. Ott’s deep connection to Penn State, gained through his tenure as an administrator, faculty member and former undergraduate student, has enabled him to develop a strong vision for the future of the College of Agricultural Sciences as the cornerstone of the University’s land-grant mission,” Tracy Langkilde, interim executive vice president and provost, said in a statement. “His ability to communicate his passion and vision will allow him to engage broad audiences, including Pennsylvania’s legislature, which is essential to Penn State’s success.”
Ott, who was selected after a national search, will oversee Penn State’s oldest college, which awarded the nation’s first baccalaureate degrees in agriculture 1861 and today includes nine academic departments as well as Penn State Extension.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in animal production from Penn State, Ott received a master’s from Auburn University and doctorate from the University of Florida, both in reproductive physiology. He was a research scientist at Texas A&M and faculty member at the University of Idaho before returning to Penn State in 2006 as a faculty member in the Department of Animal Science.
“As a student at Penn State, outstanding faculty members helped point me toward opportunities that matched my interests, challenged me, and provided me with the transformational experience of working in a research lab,” Ott said in a statement. “This put me on the path that led to my wonderfully fulfilling career. Now I can give back to the college that gave me so much, to ensure that other students are provided with this same opportunity.”
Ott was an associate director of the Huck Institutes for nine years, overseeing graduate education of its 250 doctoral students advised by 330 faculty members and innovating graduate training in the six intercollege degree programs Huck manages, according to a university news release.
In June 2023, he was appointed interim director of Huck, “where he helped to facilitate substantial investments in new equipment for the shared instrumentation facilities, recruit nearly a dozen faculty members and recognize a similar number with chair positions and lead a process of strategic realignment to better address emerging challenges,” the university wrote.
The College of Agricultural Sciences’ scope and quality of research, teaching and Extension work are its strengths, Ott said.
“To maintain our relevance, we will need to invest in our most impactful programs, while staying at the forefront of advanced and emerging technologies,” he said. “The college must continue to match the pace of change in Pennsylvania, and indeed the world, if we are going to remain an innovation engine for the commonwealth.”
With Ott taking on the leadership role in ag sciences, Patrick Drew has been named interim director of the Huck Institutes effective July 1 while a search for a permanent director is conducted, according to the university. A professor of engineering science and mechanics, neurosurgery, biomedical engineering and biology, Drew joined the Penn State faculty in 2010 and is currently an associate director for Huck.
