1/7/99

Thea R. Arocho has been appointed director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Ohio University after serving as interim director since August. Her appointment is effective immediately.

Arocho, who joined the office in 1997 as a grants manager, is responsible for assisting faculty in the preparation and submission of grant applications to external agencies, managing externally sponsored grants and contracts and helping oversee the university's investment in research, scholarship and creative activity. The staff of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs also helps identify funding opportunities and offers workshops to assist faculty and staff in making their grant proposals more competitive.

Arocho was selected after a national search for candidates.

"We reviewed the credentials of all the applicants, and Ms. Arocho possessed the technical skills and leadership qualities we sought," said Carol Blum, interim vice president for research and graduate studies. "Thea's performance during the interim has been exemplary and she has earned this position."

Arocho, who earned a bachelor of science degree from Kent State University, first worked at Ohio University as the director of the Small Business Innovation Research Center from 1989 to 1992. In that role and as the owner of Technical Ink, a research and technical writing firm she owned and operated from 1992 to 1997, Arocho assisted small businesses, individual entrepreneurs and state agencies in the preparation of research grant applications and the management of special projects.