Subject to the Board of Trustees’ approval at its June 7 meeting, the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy will appoint its interim director.

Lawrence W. Libby, who has worked at Michigan State University and the University of Florida, will take over at Ohio State.

Libby’s appointment will be effective beginning July 1 and will last one year, said Don Stenta, acting director at the Glenn Institute.

Stenta is currently holding the position until the interim director’s appointment beings, at which point when Stenta will return to his previous position as associate director.

Stenta said the Glenn Institute offers a variety of programs and opportunities for people at Ohio State to get involved in activities to help strengthen the country’s democracy.

Deborah Merritt, the previous director, recently decided to take a leave of absence due to her son’s illness. She will remain on the staff at the institute until June 30 when she will resign her position, Stenta said.

Her decision to resign was printed by The Lantern April 6.

According to a news release, Merritt will be returning to the Moritz College of Law where she holds the John Deaver Drinko/Baker & Hostetler Chair in Law.

Libby began his career as a faculty member in resource economics at MSU. He then went to the University of Florida where he held a position as department chair and professor in Food and Resource Economics. He came to OSU in 1997 to be the first holder of the C. William Swank Chair in Rural-Urban Policy, he said.

Libby said he has worked on issues relating to land use and environmental issues related to farming, in addition to holding a joint appointment in city and regional planning and in the School of Public Policy and Management.

“Professor Libby’s experiences as a faculty member at three land-grant universities and his nine years as a department chair will serve him well as he continues to strengthen the Glenn Institute’s academic linkages across colleges and the outreach initiatives that Professor Merritt established during her tenure as director,” Executive Vice President and Provost Barbara Snyder said in a news release.

Libby said he was recommended by the faculty at the School of Public Policy and Management, which might become a part of the Glenn Institute in the future.

Two other candidates were interviewed, but after meeting with Snyder, Merritt and Sen. John Glenn, Libby said he was offered the position as interim director for a year while Snyder directs a search for a new director.

“Professor Libby will be a terrific leader for the John Glenn Institute. He has experience in public service, as well as a real commitment to both public service and public policy,” Merritt said in an e-mail to The Lantern. “His own research will bring several new areas of expertise to the Institute’s work. I can’t think of anyone better suited to continue the Institute’s programs and develop the next level of excellence.”

Libby said he plans to retire after his position as interim director is completed. However, he said he is excited to manage the program the Glenn Institute currently has in place.

Libby’s duties as interim director include managing programs to help students get involved with public affairs, interacting with the directors of the various programs offered such as the Washington Internship program, the Glenn Scholar program, and many student-oriented activities and holding responsibilities related to budget and personnel management, he said.

The opportunity is exciting for him because he has been an affiliated member of the Glenn Institute, Libby said.

“I am thrilled and looking forward to it,” he said.