October 30, 2023

Dear CSU Community,

Today it is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Cassandra Moseley has been appointed as Colorado State University’s Vice President for Research. Dr. Moseley comes to us from the University of Oregon, where she has served for more than 20 years as an accomplished administrator and research professor. She will begin at CSU on Jan. 8, 2024.

As Vice President for Research, Dr. Moseley will oversee the University’s research, discovery and creative artistry portfolio. She will work in partnership with me and with the Provost, Deans, Vice Presidents and the campus community to advance the University’s reputation as an internationally recognized R1 institution. In this position, Dr. Moseley will report directly to the Provost and Executive Vice President and will serve as a member of my Cabinet and of the Executive Leadership Team.

Dr. Moseley is a research professor in the Institute for Resilient Communities, Organizations, and Environments at the University of Oregon. There, she also has served in a number of administrative leadership roles, including Vice Provost for Academic Operations and Strategy. Prior to joining the Office of the Provost, she was in the Office of Research and Innovation for eight years, most recently in the role of Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation. As the University of Oregon’s chief research officer, Moseley oversaw multidisciplinary research centers and institutes; strategic research initiatives and partnerships; research infrastructure and administration; compliance and regulatory environment; and innovation and commercialization efforts.

Dr. Moseley’s academic expertise is in wildfire and climate resilience, rural communities, and national forest policy. She has studied the changing face of wildfire management in the West and has a particular focus on how natural resource policies affect rural communities, businesses and workers. Dr. Moseley chaired the USDA Forestry Research Advisory Council, sat on the executive committee and was the liaison between Council on Research and Council on Government Affairs for the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. She was also a founding member of the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition and has testified before Congress and the Oregon State legislature multiple times. Dr. Moseley earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and government from Cornell University and her master’s degree and doctoral degree in political science from Yale University.

As we congratulate Dr. Moseley, I want to thank the search committee, chaired by James Pritchett, Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. Over the last six months, this committee conducted a nationwide search which yielded a large, highly qualified pool of candidates. Thanks, too, to the hundreds of faculty, staff, students and university supporters who participated in search forums and meetings, and who provided input into this important search.

I am also grateful to Interim Vice President for Research Christa Johnson, who has served in the interim role over the last four months. As an executive in the division for the past eight years, Dr. Johnson brought stability and experience to the role. Please join me in thanking her for her ongoing service to the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Colorado State University continues to see record-breaking numbers in sponsored project expenditures, totaling $498 million in the last fiscal year. With Dr. Moseley’s strategic leadership and outstanding track record of campus collaboration, we can look forward to the continued expansion of CSU’s research portfolio and to the advancement of the University as a top-tier research institution. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Moseley to CSU!

Sincerely,

Amy Parsons
President
Colorado State University