COLUMBUS, Ohio — After two decades as the longest-tenured dean at The Ohio State University, Bobby D. Moser has announced his retirement.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years, which is a long time, and I think it was time to retire to do other things,” the dean said.

Moser, vice president for Agricultural Administration and dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), said he will not step down until after his replacement is found and will stay on during the transitional period to assist the new dean.

“I will retire after this period, which will be about a year, and plan to be engaged and help support agriculture in Ohio and the school,” he added.

As vice president for ag administration, Moser oversees the college, extension, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) and the Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI). This includes 1,900 faculty and staff, with 3,200 students and an annual budget of $195 million.

Moser has served as vice president and dean at CFAES for nearly 20 years and is executive dean of the university’s professional colleges. He has also served as vice president for university outreach from 2001-08.

“There has been no greater ambassador for The Ohio State University than Bobby Moser,” said Gordon Gee, president of OSU. “His commitment to students and his passion for the university’s land-grant mission are matched by his extraordinary outreach to our agricultural and extension partners in Ohio, and beyond.”

As the leader of agricultural administration, Moser has helped strengthen the college’s research, teaching and outreach efforts with four underlying principles: production efficiency, economic stability, environmental compatibility and social responsibility. “These four items make for a sustainable food system,” he said.

He also led his college to center on global issues of enormous impact to the world’s increasing population, through three signature areas of Food Security, Production and Human Health; Environmental Quality and Sustainability; and Advanced Bioenergy and Biobased Products.

“These are things we think are important for agriculture to continue to grow,” Moser said. “And I think they are pretty important things we have done in my tenure.”

In leading the only comprehensive agricultural college in the state, Moser has been an advocate for science-based learning and policy decisions, and “invaluable” as a member of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, according to Jack Fisher, member of the Board of Trustees and executive vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.

“Bobby has excelled at connecting our land-grant university to elected officials, social advocates, environmental leaders, Farm Bureau and other agricultural organizations. The relationships he built, and his advocacy for food and farming, will leave a lasting mark on every citizen of Ohio,” Fisher said.

Moser’s leadership in global agricultural development was recognized in his appointment in 2005 by then-President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to the U.S.-India Knowledge Initiative on Agricultural Education, Teaching, Research, Service and Commercial Linkages. He served in a multitude of leadership roles on the international, national and state levels and received numerous accolades.

Under Moser, the CFAES image expanded beyond a traditional “cows and plows” view to include high science and education. In independent reports, Battelle termed the college and its entities as economic engines and job creators, critical to Ohio’s financial future.

Known for his collaborative style, courteous approach and humility, Moser said it has been his honor to work with the dedicated and visionary leaders at OSU. “I’m indebted to the gifted and hard-working faculty, staff and students in CFAES,” he said.

“I’m most proud of the people I have worked with through the years – it’s the people that make a difference.”

Before being named dean in 1991, Moser was director of the Ohio Cooperative Extension Service (now called Ohio State University Extension). Previously, he was associate dean of Agriculture and extension program director at the University of Missouri; a professor at the University of Nebraska, where he received his doctorate in animal nutrition; and received his master of science and bachelor of science from Oklahoma State University.

Once he retires sometime in 2012, Moser said he and his wife, Pat, will enjoy time with their two sons and seven grandchildren. “It’s been a great run and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” he added. “It’s a great state, great industry, great university and great college.”

Under Moser’s tenure, the college stated it experienced considerable advancement:

The restructuring and renaming of the college via an effort called Project Reinvent in 1994.

A 204 percent increase in grant awards, to $39.6 million in 2011 versus $13 million in 1991.

The issuance of more than 86 patents

Garnered nearly $30 million in Ohio Third Frontier grants.

The donation of nearly $83 million to the college from more than 28,000 donors

The establishment of the Food Innovation Center.

The designation of Center of Excellence in Agriculture, Food Production, and BioProducts by former Gov. Ted Strickland and former Chancellor Eric Fingerhut.

The building of the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, the first certified “green” building on an OSU campus.

The building of the Parker Food Science and Technology Building

The building in Wooster of one of only two biocontainment facilities in the nation that can handle both plants and animals at the Biosafety Level-3 Agriculture level.