News Releases

OWENS COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES NAME WILLIAM BALZER INTERIM PRESIDENT

PERRYSBURG TOWNSHIP, Ohio, Aug. 4, 2020 – Owens Community College Board of Trustees has selected William K. Balzer, Ph.D. to serve as interim president. Balzer will formally assume the interim president position on Aug. 10 following the departure of Steve Robinson, Ph.D. on July 17 to serve as president of Lansing Community College. Robinson served as the seventh president of the College since 2018 after serving as provost and vice president of academic affairs.

“We are very excited to bring Dr. Balzer’s depth of experience to Owens as we search for our next president,” stated Mary Beth Hammond, chair, Owens Board of Trustees. “We will benefit greatly not only from that experience but also the relationships of mutual respect he has built with his colleagues at BGSU and the other four-year institutions that Owens has built partnerships with over the years.”

Balzer has more than 35 years of experience in higher education. Prior to joining Owens, he served as vice president for Faculty Affairs and Strategic Initiatives at Bowling Green State University (BGSU). His responsibilities included providing leadership in the implementation of the collective bargaining agreement with the BGSU Faculty Association, representing the Administration on issues related to the contract, and supporting the professional development of Department Chairs and School Directors at the University. In addition, he had the responsibility of helping support strategic planning and implementation and other strategic initiatives to advance the University.

Following his selection to the interim president position, Balzer said:

“I want to thank the Board of Trustees for both their confidence and the privilege to serve as interim president at Owens Community College. I look forward to working closely over the coming year with the leadership team, faculty, and staff to continue to advance the college’s success in providing students with an affordable and high-quality education to meet their professional and personal goals and enrich the economic vitality of northwest Ohio.”

He earned a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from New York University, a Master of Science in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Balzer is a member of the Association of Academic Personnel Administrators, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the American Psychological Society. He has also served as a member of several community boards.

The Board of Trustees is in the process of conducting a search to name a permanent president of Owens Community College.