Barbara R. Snyder: A Short Biography
Barbara R. Snyder, who began her academic career in higher education in the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, was elected president of Case Western Reserve in December 2006 and began her tenure as the first woman to hold the office on July 1, 2007.
Snyder previously served as the executive vice president and provost of The Ohio State University. She succeeded Gregory L. Eastwood, M.D., who had been serving as interim president since June 1, 2006.
As executive vice president and provost at Ohio State, Snyder was responsible for all facets of the academic programs of the university. She served in that role in an interim capacity from 2003-2004, and was permanently named provost in 2004. Snyder also spent two years as vice provost for academic policy and human resources, during which time she also served for eight months as the interim vice president for university relations.
During her tenure as a senior administrator, Ohio State improved its rank among public universities, and its annual research expenditures climbed from $496 million to $652 million. Under her leadership, Ohio State addressed quality of life issues for faculty and staff, improved benefits for graduate associates and developed an initiative designed to raise the university academic stature in which 10 faculty-created programs of excellence and impact received central investment.
While at Ohio State, Snyder held the Joanne Wharton Murphy/Classes of 1965 and 1973 Professorship in the Moritz College of Law. She served as the Moritz College's associate dean of academic affairs and had been the director of the college's former Center for Socio-Legal Studies, now known as the Center for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy Studies.
Snyder was an assistant professor in the Case Western Reserve School of Law from 1983 until 1986. In 1986, she was promoted to associate professor and taught at the university until 1988, when she joined the Moritz College of Law faculty.
In August 2007, Snyder was elected to The American Law Institute. A specialist in rules of evidence, she received the Moritz College of Law Outstanding Professor Award in 1997. Along with Paul C. Giannelli, Weatherhead Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve, Snyder is the co-author of Ohio Evidence and the Ohio Rules of Evidence Handbook.
Snyder received the B.A. in Sociology from The Ohio State University and the J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. She is married to Michael, who received his M.B.A. from the Weatherhead School of Management. They have three children, Adam, Ben, and Elizabeth.