Cro appointed College of Arts and Sciences dean

Oklahoma State University has named Dr. Melinda Cro as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In April, the OSU/A&M Board of Regents approved Cro, who is currently the assistant dean of student success, engagement and undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at Kansas State University. Cro will begin her tenure as CAS dean in July, replacing the college’s interim dean, Dr. Keith Garbutt. Garbutt will return to his post as dean of the Honors College this fall. A University of Georgia graduate, Cro is a digital humanist and early modernist with a Ph.D. in romance languages. She is a tenured professor of modern languages who served in successive leadership roles during her time at KSU, including graduate program director and head of the Department of Modern Languages. Finding a new CAS dean involved a national candidate search, with three finalists coming to Stillwater for interviews and presentations in February. Cro is the first female dean of the college to serve in a full-time, non-interim capacity. She will lead 24 departments, 650 faculty, 200 staff and nearly 7,000 students.