Dr. Donald O. Straney became dean of the College of Science, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, in August 2002. Prior to that, he was assistant to the provost for faculty development and a professor of zoology at Michigan State University.

As an administrator at Michigan State University (MSU), Straney served as department chair for nine years, leading a department of 37 faculty, 60 graduate students, five staff members, and more than 300 majors. As chair, he substantially increased the number of faculty members, oversaw the incorporation of general education and introductory biology teaching into the department’s mission, and led the revision of undergraduate and graduate curriculum as MSU converted to the semester system. Straney also served as the “special projects” person in the provost’s office, overeeing MSU’s involvement in the ACE/Kellogg Project on Leadership and Institutional Transformation. The ACE/Kellogg Project is a national program that enhances academic environments and learning situations between faculty and students. Straney was the co-founder of the interdisciplinary graduate program in ecology and evolutionary biology and served for many years on the All-University Committee on Animal Use and Care. He was active in issues related to access and climate for underrepresented groups on campus and co-chaired a subcommittee of the All-University Task Force on Gay and Lesbian Issues.

As a professor and scientist, Straney’s research in evolutionary biology focused on patterns of evolutionary change within and between major lineages and methodological issues related to the quantitative study of morphological change. This led him to an extended study on understanding patterns of diversification in bats, including the use of embryological investigations of skeletal development. His current research on morphological change in ant evolution is ongoing.

Education: Straney received his bachelor of science and master of science degrees from Michigan State Univeristy and his Ph.D. in zoology from UC Berkeley.