Barbara Snyder wants to put an end to the speculation.

Right now.

So the folks at Ohio State University can save themselves a phone call.

Here's her answer: Not a chance.

Put her way, "I am committed to staying at Case Western Reserve University."

For years, business, civic and political leaders have rightly worried that Snyder, president of CWRU since 2007, would be on the short list of likely successors to Ohio State University President Gordon Gee.

She was born and raised in Columbus, earned a bachelor's degree at OSU and is a former Ohio State executive vice president and provost.

In other words, Snyder would be a perfect fit for one of the toughest jobs in higher education.

That never-ending speculation escalated earlier this month. When Gee was forced into "retirement" by OSU's heavy-handed board of trustees, Ohio's newspapers began mentioning Snyder as a possible successor.

Privately, Snyder has spent the last few weeks assuring CWRU board members, key staff members and community leaders that any overtures from OSU would be politely rejected.

"These are great times at our university," she said Monday, during an interview at her Adelbert Hall office. "We've all worked very hard to get to this moment. I'm really proud of how quickly we've made progress in a variety of areas and the way people have pulled together to make things happen."

Snyder's six years at CWRU have exceeded everyone's expectations. When she arrived on campus, the university was reeling from a precipitous drop in prestige and alumni giving. The school faced a $20 million deficit and faculty morale had hit rock bottom.

Today, in every way imaginable, CWRU is a far better place.

Average SAT scores of first-year students are way up, as is external research funding. Applications for admissions have more than doubled, and the minority student population has nearly doubled. CWRU's 2007 admissions class included 32 international students. This year's is projected at 124.

Then there's the matter of money. In the year Snyder arrived, giving totaled $68.8 million. As of May 31, with a month to go in the fiscal year, this year's total was $135.8 million.

And unlike the shabby treatment of Gee by Ohio State's lousy board, Snyder works for one that appreciates her accomplishments.

"Barbara has been a transformational leader," said Frank Linsalata, who chaired the search committee that hired her. "We want her to stay as long as she plans on being in higher education. It's a win for the school and a win for the community."

Charles "Bud" Koch, like Linsalata a present board member and former chair, said losing Snyder to OSU or anywhere else "would be a horrible setback for this university and this town." Koch compared CWRU to "a rocket ready to take off."

And Joe Roman, president of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, said Snyder has the potential to "go down as one of the most successful presidents in the history of the school" because she's succeeded "on every important aspect of what a university president has to do."

While Snyder clearly earns her high six-figure salary, she works in a community where far too many residents have an unhealthy obsession with educators' pay.

Greater Cleveland might be a far better place if people focused more on the region's alarmingly low educational attainment rate and less on how much teachers and other educators are paid.

A recent Lumina Foundation report found that Ohio ranks 36th of the 50 states in the percentage of adults with a college degree.

Of the state's three largest metro areas, Greater Cleveland is the least educated, with fewer than 39 percent of working-age adults owning at least a two-year degree.

For all those here who seem to think education doesn't matter, consider this: In May, the nation's unemployment rate was 7.6 percent. Among college graduates, the U.S. Labor Department estimates it at 3.9 percent.

Synder understands the role CWRU can play in helping close Greater Cleveland's educational attainment gap and "making a positive difference for our city and region."

And she's not staying put so she can rest on her laurels.

"We're just getting started," she promised. "Six years -- and we're not done yet."

This fall, Snyder will present the CWRU board with a new, five-year strategic plan that sets the bar even higher. And she wants to begin a discussion on goals for the school when it celebrates its 200th birthday in 2026.

Asked if she might be president then, Snyder pauses to laugh and do the math.

"I'd be 71. You never know."

Brent Larkin was The Plain Dealer's editorial director from 1991 until his retirement in 2009.

To reach Brent Larkin: blarkin@plaind.com, 216-999-4252