ELCA NEWS SERVICE April 6, 2004 ELCA's Roanoke College Names Sabine O'Hara New President 04-058-TG*/JB CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. Sabine U. O'Hara was elected March 30 as president of Roanoke College, Salem, Va., one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). O'Hara was elected by a unanimous vote of the Roanoke College board of trustees, said Robert E. Wortmann, Englewood, N.J., board chair. O'Hara, 48, is academic vice president and dean at Concordia College, an ELCA college in Moorhead, Minn. She has held that post since 2002. O'Hara, who will begin as president in August, will be the 10th president in Roanoke College's 162-year history. She will succeed Dr. David M. Gring, who will retire in June after 15 years as president. O'Hara was recommended by a 13-member presidential search committee, according to a Roanoke College news release. O'Hara visited the campus in March as part of the interview process and will return in mid-April to attend the spring board of trustees meeting, Wortmann said. "It will be a real privilege to serve as president of Roanoke College," O'Hara said. "President Gring's outstanding leadership has put Roanoke in a position of great strength, and I have been most impressed with Roanoke's tradition of academic strength and with the commitment and quality of its people. It will be my distinct pleasure to partner with such a talented and dedicated community in guiding the college's continued advancement to national prominence and recognition for its academic reputation and commitment to service." "The faculty and college community are very excited about the arrival of Dr. O'Hara," said Dr. Michael A. Hakkenberg, Roanoke College professor of history and a member of the search committee. "We were impressed with her energy and commitment to the mission of the college and believe that she will provide the strong leadership and vision that is necessary to move Roanoke College to the next level among nationally ranked liberal arts colleges." During her service at Concordia College, O'Hara implemented a new division structure in academic affairs with five interdisciplinary academic divisions for a more collaborative working structure, the news release said. She expanded the international education program and implemented three new initiatives. The first was a strategic initiative grant that provided funding to help early-career faculty members advance their research and teaching agendas or to help those in mid- career change their research focuses and develop new innovative teaching models. A second initiative was the "Regents Scholars" grants, designed to foster innovation and information. The third was an undergraduate assistant program that awards paid undergraduate research assistantships to talented undergraduate students. Before she joined Concordia College, O'Hara was provost and professor of economics at Green Mountain College, Poultney, Vt. She was director of graduate studies in economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., and served as director of public policy for the New York State Council of Churches. She was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. O'Hara, a Lutheran, was born and educated in Germany. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Goettingen, Germany, where she earned a doctorate in environmental economics. O'Hara is author of two books: Economic Theory for Environmentalists (1995) and External Effects of Nitrate Fertilization (1984). She is author of more than 30 peer- reviewed papers and book chapters. Her honors and awards include recognition for her papers, teaching and service. O'Hara has lectured and presented workshops nationally and internationally. She is a member of the editorial board of "Review of Social Economy." O'Hara's service also includes board memberships with Girls Incorporated of the Greater Capital District, Employee Ownership Project, Damien Center for AIDS Ministries, the Association for Social Economics and the International Society for Ecological Economics. She has initiated a number of economic development and urban revitalization projects and has been recognized for her community-based approaches to economic development. O'Hara and her husband, the Rev. Philip O'Hara, a pastor in the United Methodist Church, have three sons. Two are college students, and the third is a high school sophomore. -- -- -- Information about Roanoke College is at http://www.roanoke.edu/ on the Web. * Teresa T. Gereaux is director of public relations for Roanoke College. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news