Miami University reveals president finalist

Miami University officials announced Thursday that a nine-month search has produced Crawford as the only remaining candidate to become the university's 22nd president.

Crawford would replace President David Hodge, who will retire June 30.

The university spent at least $150,000 for a private search firm to track down its next leader. How many candidates were vetted will not be released, according to Miami spokeswoman Claire Wagner.

Miami University is Butler County’s largest employer, with nearly 3,300 full-time employees at its main Oxford campus, and Hamilton and Middletown campuses. Total university employment is more than 4,000 workers, including part-time employees, according to Miami.

Crawford told the Journal-News he was “ecstatic to be nominated for this leadership role at Miami University. Miami University is a very special institution, with a unique mission and an extraordinary reputation in higher education. It is an original Public Ivy and ranked among the top schools in the nation for its emphasis on teaching and learning.”

The 50-year-old Crawford was raised in Elyria, Ohio, west of Cleveland. An undergraduate and graduate at Kent State University, he visited Miami as a young adult and remembered it fondly.

“Miami University’s campus scenery is stunningly beautiful, and the buildings and facilities reflect its distinguished tradition. I am truly inspired by the students, faculty, and staff,” he said.

“I am deeply honored to be selected as a finalist for the position of President at Miami University. This is a campus community rich in tradition, dynamic in nature, innovative and entrepreneurial in culture. The institution has benefited immensely from extraordinary leadership over the past decade, and I am humbled to be considered for its leadership in the future,” said Crawford.

Crawford most recently hails from the University of Notre Dame, where he is a vice president and associate provost. He is also a physics professor.

Crawford was named vice president and associate provost in 2015 to lead Notre Dame’s efforts to develop its presence in California.

His responsibilities included expanding career services, internships, and employment opportunities for Notre Dame undergraduates, recruiting students from top California high schools to Notre Dame, enhancing fundraising efforts in the state, and establishing California-based courses and programs, both in traditional settings and online.

Crawford will again tour Miami University’s Oxford campus and its Middletown and Hamilton campuses next week. He will hold a series of faculty and public forums at all three sites.

“On behalf of the trustees, we wish to thank the faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members from all of Miami’s campuses who contributed to this important process. We especially want to thank those who also served as members of the search committee,” said Miami University’s Chair of the Board of Trustees David Budig.

The trustees may vote to officially hire Crawford during their meeting Feb. 18.

According to Crawford’s LinkedIn page, he earned a bachelor’s (mathematics and physics), master’s (physics), and doctorate (chemical physics) from Kent State University.

Crawford completed two postdoctoral fellowships and was a researcher at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center before joining the faculty at Brown University.

Crawford wrote that “he applies his research background in optics, photonics, and soft matter materials to address areas related to human health, e.g., the analysis and dating of bruises, which are often key pieces of evidence in child abuse cases. He has to his credit more than 400 research and education publications, review articles, and book chapters, and more than 20 U.S. patents and patent applications.”

According to the University of Notre Dame’s website Crawford “joined the University’s faculty in 2008, leaving his post as the dean of engineering at Brown University, where he had been a professor of physics and engineering, to become the William K. Warren Foundation Dean of Notre Dame’s College of Science. As Warren Dean, he oversaw, among other initiatives, the founding of the Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, the recruitment of more than 60 new faculty, and the planning and fundraising for significant new ventures such as the Warren Family Research Center for Drug Discovery and Development.”

Budig said forums to introduce Crawford to the various Miami community’s next week are:

“We look forward to next week when the entire Miami community can meet Dr. Crawford to experience his energy and enthusiasm, and to learn more about his vision, skills and experience,” said Budig.