Tim White has accepted the job as president; he starts July 1

Oregon State University Provost Tim White will shake his last Corvallis hand and beam his last Corvallis smile in late June, and will turn his attention to Moscow, Idaho, where he'll take up the role of president of University of Idaho on July 1.

It's not the first time White has held the role of president, but his first foray as university top dog was a temporary one. White filled in as OSU president after Paul Risser left to become chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, and held the reins until Edward Ray was hired to fill the position.

White made it clear to his co-workers that he hoped to move on to a job as president, something he willingly forwent at OSU to maintain continuity during the presidential search, and to continue working on the university's strategic plan.

Ron Adams, dean of the College of Engineering, said White was lucky to be able to find a president's job so quickly, and thought he would be a boon to University of Idaho. White, who also was instrumental in advocating for the university's engineering initiative, will be missed at OSU, he said.

"The good news is that the leadership team is cohesive enough, and there's a sufficient sense of direction that one of us can step out and it won't slow it down," Adams said.

Adams said White's abilities as a communicator and politician of sorts will help him succeed as a university president.

White has been Ray's right-hand man during his first two terms at OSU, and the president said he's sorry to see him go.

"Tim has done a terrific job, and it's a tremendous loss for all us," Ray said.

But Ray, like White's other co-workers, knew it was only a matter of time before White moved on in his career.

"He's ready to be president somewhere," Ray said. "He's a person you want to see succeed."

Ray said an interim provost would be chosen before White leaves in June, and a search, both internally and externally, will be done to fill that position.

In a statement released to the campus community, White and his wife Karen, a professor of exercise and sports science, expressed gratitude to the people who shared his eight years at the university.

"I believe that the future of Oregon State University is brighter because of our dedication to the university, and to each other," White wrote. "The best is yet to be for OSU. We will forever be interested and supportive of greater success for this terrific university, and for its people and programs."

White will earn $162,000 per year as president of University of Idaho, in addition to allowances for housing, a car and other benefits, as well as supplemental compensation paid for by the University of Idaho Foundation.

At the University of Idaho, White will take over from Interim President Gary Michael, who has served in that capacity since Robert Hoover resigned last June.

"We have found an exceptionally strong and dynamic leader in Dr. White," State Board of Education President Blake Hall said in a news release. "The board is confident Dr. White will lead the University of Idaho to the next level of excellence."

White came to OSU as dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences in January 1996, after serving for five years as professor and chair of the Department of Human Biodynamics at the University of California-Berkeley. He previously was on the faculty of the University of Michigan, where he spent 13 years, including stints as chair of the department of movement science, and research scientist in the Institute of Gerontology.

White was born in Argentina. His parents emigrated to Canada and then to California when he was young. White earned his Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley, following baccalaureate and master's degrees from California State University Fresno and Hayward.