The Pennsylvania State University President
Eric J. Barron began his tenure as the 18th president of The Pennsylvania State University on May 12, 2014. Previously, Barron served as president of Florida State. He has more than 35 years of leadership experience in academic administration, education, research and public service, as well as a track record as a talented manager of fiscal policy within large and complex institutions.
In 2017, Barron was named the chairman of the Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness and Economic Prosperity (CICEP) for the Association of Public Land-grant Universities. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for APLU, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and Kish Bancorp, Inc.
An accomplished scientist with a long background in atmospheric research, Barron was the director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. Over the decades, Barron has lent his significant expertise in the areas of atmospheric science and the geosciences to many national committees and federal agencies, including nearly 20 years of service as the chair of multiple National Research Council committees and boards.