Dr. Troy Hall has been appointed interim dean of the Honors College, effective Thursday, April 23. Dr. Hall currently serves as associate dean of the college and will assume the interim role following the conclusion of an internal search. Dr. Toni Doolen’s twelve-year tenure as Honors College dean concluded in December, 2025.
Dr. Hall’s appointment comes during a period of transition for the Honors College, which moved earlier this year to the Division of Academic Affairs. The timeline of the search for a permanent leader of the college will be determined after a new senior vice provost for academic affairs is hired. The current senior vice provost, Alix Gitelman, will retire at the end of June.
Dr. Hall joined the Honors College as associate dean in 2024 after more than a decade of academic leadership at Oregon State University and peer institutions. She returned to OSU — where she earned her Ph.D. in forest resources in 1996 — in 2014 as head of the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, following her service as head of the Department of Conservation Social Sciences at the University of Idaho.
Over the past 10 years at OSU, Dr. Hall has held a range of leadership roles focused on undergraduate education and program development. She directed the undergraduate program in natural resources, which has experienced sustained growth since its inception more than 25 years ago, and led the merger of Oregon State’s Tourism and Outdoor Leadership Program at OSU-Cascades with the Resource Recreation and Tourism Program at the Corvallis campus. That work resulted in the creation of the Tourism, Recreation and Adventure Leadership (TRAL) program, including the development of a fully distance degree offering. She also led in the introduction of an Ecampus honors degree option in natural resources.
Since joining the Honors College leadership team, Dr. Hall has overseen the implementation of a significant revision to the honors curriculum and led the annual delivery of more than 150 honors seminars and nearly 150 sections of standard honors courses. Her work has included revising processes for learning outcomes assessment, developing new resources to support student success, expanding mentorship for faculty advising honors theses and advancing honors offerings aligned with the university’s new Core Education curriculum, including Seeking Solutions signature courses.
Dr. Hall’s longstanding commitment to undergraduate student success has been central to her work across OSU. As a faculty member, she has taught undergraduate and graduate courses emphasizing critical thinking, teamwork and applied problem-solving. She also contributed to university-wide curricular reform as a member of the Baccalaureate Core Reform Committee and has served as a faculty fellow with the Center for Teaching and Learning.
“Troy brings continuity, deep institutional knowledge and a student-centered approach to this role,” says Senior Vice Provost Gitelman. “Her leadership as associate dean has helped position the Honors College for continued innovation, and I am confident the college is in excellent hands during this transition.”
In this role, Dr. Hall will provide leadership across all areas of the Honors College, including the Design for Social Impact and National and Global Scholarship Advising programs, which are housed within the college, working closely with faculty, staff and university partners to support the college’s mission and sustain momentum during the interim period.
“I’m honored to serve the Honors College in this role,” says Dr. Hall. “This is a remarkable community of students, faculty and staff, and I look forward to working together to support student success, continue strengthening the curriculum and advance the college’s contributions across Oregon State.”
By Kallie Hagel, Honors College Communications Coordinator
