George W. Hynd appointed next president of Oakland University
On Wednesday, July 9 at a special Board of Trustees formal session, George W. Hynd, currently provost at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, was named OU’s next president. The session, held in the Banquet Rooms of the Oakland Center at 10 a.m., allowed the press and OU community to meet the new president.
The Oakland University Board of Trustees appointed George W. Hynd as the next president of Oakland University at a special formal board session on Wednesday, July 9.
Hynd said he received a call on July 3 from a member of the search committee letting him know that he had been chosen as the next president.
Hynd previously served as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs for the College of Charleston in South Carolina. He has more than 40 years of educational experience, including serving as the dean of the College of Education at Purdue University from 2003-2007, chair of the Division for the Education of Exceptional Children, director of the School of Professional Studies and associate dean of Research and External Affairs at the University of Georgia from 1997-2003.
Hynd said there were a number of factors that drew him to Oakland, one being the school’s focus on the liberal arts since it’s beginning with Matilda Dodge Wilson.
“OU has as its genesis a commitment to the liberal arts,” Hynd said.
He was also eager to get back to an institution with a focus on research. Having a background in psychology and having been a children’s neuropsychologist, Hynd said he would continue to promote research development.
Hynd said building a campus community is one of his biggest priorities.
“My aspiration is to hit the ground running,” he said.
Hynd said he would be talking with leaders of the university as well as Student Affairs to engage in campus life and get more information for future decision-making.
Hynd said the students and their comfort here at Oakland is one of the most important factors in building a successful community.
“This is their home, this is a place they want to stay,” he said. “We want to make sure this is a community where we support each other.”
Hynd gave praise to several of OU’s schools and programs, including the School of Education and School of Engineering.
“At OU, almost 30 percent of the tenured professors in engineering are women,” he said. “We should be a beacon for other universities.”
Building a strong state and national image for the university is another goal of Hynd’s, with a focus on “being able to make connections with opinion leaders and makers in Detroit and Michigan.”
