Chief of online learning leaving Ohio State this fall

Ohio State’s chief information officer, who oversees distance education and online learning, plans to leave the university this fall, during a semester built in part around hybrid and remote classes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Michael B. Hofherr will stay at the university through September before departing, Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson confirmed Friday. Hofherr has been in the vice president and chief information officer role since 2014, and with the university since 2011, according to his Ohio State biography.

News of Hofherr’s departure comes days before the start of the fall semester, during which the university plans to have fewer people on campus by using a mix of online, hybrid and in-person classes. Some students are taking the majority of their courses online.

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Information about Hofherr’s next role was not immediately available Friday afternoon.

Hofherr helped oversee the university’s transition to online learning in March as the pandemic first took hold in Ohio. He also served as vice-chair on Ohio State’s COVID-19 transition task force over the summer, which planned the university’s return to campus.

“Mike has helped Ohio State build a world-class information technology and distance education infrastructure, which continues to benefit our students, faculty and staff – particularly as we learned, taught and worked remotely during the spring and summer,” Johnson said in a written statement. “We wish Mike all the best in his next endeavor.”

While Hofherr is departing, Johnson said Ohio State remains ready for fall semester.

“Ohio State is ranked as the best in the nation for online undergraduate education, and leadership and staff throughout the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Office of Distance Education and eLearning are exceptionally well prepared to support the university community as we begin the fall semester,” Johnson said.

Hofherr’s team also oversees the university’s Digital Flagship Initiative, the partnership with Apple that puts an iPad into the hands of each incoming student and focuses on coding curriculum and app development. The initiative is currently partnering with coworking company COhatch to develop a design lab in the Gateway district near the university.

jsmola@dispatch.com

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