Eric J. Barron

Eric J. Barron
Barron in July 2021

18th President of the Pennsylvania State University
In office May 12, 2014 – May 9, 2022
Preceded by	Rodney Erickson
Succeeded by	Neeli Bendapudi
14th President of Florida State University
In office February 1, 2010 – April 2, 2014
Preceded by	T. K. Wetherell
Succeeded by	John E. Thrasher
8th Director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research
In office 2008–2010
Preceded by	Timothy Killeen
Succeeded by	Roger Wakimoto

Personal details
Born	(1951-10-26) October 26, 1951 (age 72) Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.
Children	2
Alma mater	Florida State University (B.S.) University of Miami (M.S. and Ph.D.)

Eric James Barron (born October 26, 1951) is an American academic administrator who was the 18th president of Pennsylvania State University from 2014 until 2022.^[1] He previously was the 14th president of Florida State University and director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.

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Transcription

President Barron: Hi, I'm Eric Barron, your new president. I love this University, and it is truly great to be back. I can't wait to get to know you, I can't wait to work together to make a great university even greater. Thank you.

Early life and education

Barron was born on October 26, 1951, in Lafayette, Indiana. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in geology from Florida State University in 1972. He then attended the University of Miami, where he obtained a Master of Science in oceanography 1976 and a Ph.D. in 1980.^[2]

Career

From 1980 to 1985, Barron was employed as a post-doctoral research fellow and scientist by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. He subsequently was named an associate professor at the University of Miami, where he served from 1985 to 1986.^[3]

In 1986, Barron was named a faculty member at Pennsylvania State University in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, becoming the dean until leaving Penn State in 2006, to become dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. There, he held the Jackson chair in earth system science.

In 2008, Barron left the University of Texas to become director of the National Center for Atmospheric Sciences (NCAR) from 2008 to 2010, until being named president of Florida State University in December 2009.^[4]

Barron was the 14th president of FSU from February 1, 2010,^[5] until stepping down on April 2, 2014, after being named the president-elect of the Pennsylvania State University in February 2014.^[6] Following the departure of Rodney Erickson on May 12, 2014, Barron became the 18th president of Penn State.

During his term as Penn State president, he resided in Schreyer House, the official president's residence of the university.^[7] In February 2021, Barron indicated to the Penn State Board of Trustees his intent to retire at the end of his contract, in June 2022.^[8] Barron's tenure ended in May 2022, when he was succeeded by Neeli Bendapudi.^[9] During his presidency, one of Barron's focuses was attempting to transform the Greek life system at Penn State following the death of Tim Piazza.^[10]

Barron is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has been chair of numerous National Science Foundation, NASA and United States National Research Council (NRC) committees and panels, including the NRC climate research committee, the NRC board on atmospheric sciences and climate and NASA's earth observing system science executive committee.^[3]

References

^ "Penn State names Eric J. Barron president". Penn State University. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
^ "UCAR Trustee Candidate Eric J. Barron" (PDF). University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 7, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Eric J. Barron Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
^ Oppel, Richard A. Jr. (February 17, 2014). "Penn State Looks South in Naming New President". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
- "Bio of Penn State's next president, Eric Barron". Centre Daily Times. February 17, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
^ "The Presidents of FSU". Florida State University. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
^ Brooks, Nicole (19 February 2014). "University trustees move forward with presidential transition". Florida State University. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
- Dawson, Mike (February 19, 2014). "Florida State accepts resignation of incoming Penn State President Eric Barron". Centre Daily Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
^ Brown, Grant (April 3, 2014). "A Brief History of the Schreyer House". Onward State. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
^ "Penn State President to Retire in 2022, Successor to Be Sought". NBC Philadelphia. Associated Press. February 22, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
^ Schackner, Bill (May 9, 2022). "Neeli Bendapudi makes history as she takes over as PSU president". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
^ "It's Not Just Amy Gutmann. Philly-Area College Presidents Are Leaving in Droves". Philadelphia. July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2021.