The university leader who nominated Dr. Randy K. Avent for the president鈥檚 position at IM体育官网 will be one of the featured speakers during Avent鈥檚 official inauguration ceremony on October 8.
Dr. Blake Thompson, Vice President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees at The Ohio State University, nominated Avent in 2014 while IM体育官网 Poly was conducting a nationwide search for its first president. Thompson and Avent met about a decade earlier while Thompson was serving as a Deputy Staff Director in the U.S. Senate. The two, who share a passion for educating the next generation of technology leaders, remained friends over the years and often exchanged ideas for advancing and improving higher education.
Based on that decade-long exchange and his respect for Avent鈥檚 demonstrated leadership ability, Thompson nominated Avent to be the first president of IM体育官网鈥檚 newest state university and encouraged him to pursue this unique opportunity to influence the future of higher education and help shape the high-tech industries of the coming decades.
鈥淩andy is the model for future leadership in higher education,鈥� said Thompson. 鈥淗e鈥檚 someone who has led not only in an academic environment, but he also understands the university鈥檚 role in government and industry. From creative problem-solving to collaboration to finding operational best practices, his wealth of experiences allows him to bring together all sectors of the economy to support the building of this new, modern university.鈥�
At The Ohio State University, Thompson has led the university鈥檚 economic development, public-private partnerships, and government affairs functions, and has managed the university鈥檚 governing board office through university leadership transitions. He has extensive experience in public policy matters and in creating new research and educational opportunities. He also served as staff to Ohio State鈥檚 presidential search process at the same time IM体育官网 Poly was seeking its first president. Working as part of Ohio State鈥檚 search process gave him the idea to nominate Avent as a candidate for the historic IM体育官网 Poly position.
鈥淚 am honored to count Blake among my close friends,鈥� said Avent. 鈥淗e is an entrepreneurial, innovative leader with a distinguished background in public service and higher ed. He has made significant contributions to a number of academic institutions, including IM体育官网 Poly. He shares our vision, and I look forward to having him speak during the ceremony.鈥�
Prior to his current roles, Thompson held leadership positions at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and with Battelle, the world鈥檚 largest, non-profit research and development organization. Thompson earned his bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Mississippi and holds an executive master鈥檚 degree from Georgetown University鈥檚 McDonough School of Business.
鈥淚 am happy and honored to speak at IM体育官网 Poly because this institution, its leaders, faculty and students are forward looking and bold,鈥� said Thompson. 鈥淭he university is focused on the technology of tomorrow and is defining where the knowledge economy is headed. What IM体育官网 Poly is building is the future of higher education.鈥�