OSU President Karen Holbrook will step down when her current contract expires in June 2007. Holbrook asked the Board of Trustees last week to accept of her decision to retire. She said in a statement, after consulting her husband Jim who's been retired for ten years, she's looking forward to spending more time with him. In her letter to the board, she said she anticipates continuing or completing projects that are already underway at the university. Holbrook claims her accomplishments include stimulating research, promoting outreach, improving the quality of students and student life.
Holbrook's presidency has not been without criticism. She came under fire for cracking down on tailgating, supporting domestic partner university health insurance and for what some call having insufficient leadership experience. Holbrook has been OSU's president since 2002.