Ostrander

Curtis S. Ostrander, associate vice president within Cornell University Finance and Administration and chief of Cornell Police, has been named interim vice president for risk management and public safety.

He will succeed Richard W. McDaniel, who has held the vice presidential post since it was created in early 2007. McDaniel, who is retiring at year's end after 33 years at Cornell, will continue to work as a consultant on university initiatives in emergency planning and risk management.

Making the announcement, Executive Vice President Stephen T. Golding said, "I have confidence that Curt will maintain the high level of planning and implementation in risk management and public safety that Rich initiated. He is nationally recognized for his leadership in campus police management and student safety, and he will carry forward that leadership into wider areas."

Golding added that the search for the new vice president for risk management and public safety has been suspended while the university maintains a hiring pause until March. At that time the decision will be made, based on budget considerations, whether to reopen searches.

The Division of Risk Management and Public Safety oversees Cornell's emergency management response and planning, as well as health and safety programs on campus. Its initiatives include emergency notification systems like the sirens placed on campus this year, completing emergency response plans for all campus departments, planning for pandemic influenza and developing business continuity plans to be used during emergencies.

A veteran police administrator with 26 years of law enforcement experience before he came to Cornell, Ostrander joined Cornell Police in 2001 as deputy director, becoming director in 2005. He has received numerous distinguished service awards and commendations. He is a graduate of the State University of New York, with a B.S. in criminal justice administration, and of the FBI National Academy.