The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents today appointed Kim E. Schatzel as president of Towson University, one of USM’s 12 institutions. Schatzel is interim president, provost, and executive vice president of academic and student affairs at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). She will join Towson as president on January 25, 2016.
“We are very pleased that Dr. Schatzel has accepted the appointment as Towson University’s next president,” said USM Board Chair James L. Shea. “She has been successful in both higher education and the private sector. And she has a strong record of developing effective partnerships between higher education and business. This combination of experience will serve Towson and the University System of Maryland well in the years ahead.”
“I am excited to welcome Dr. Schatzel to the USM community,” said USM Chancellor Robert L. Caret. “She has earned a reputation as a collaborative leader. Her experience at an institution that is similar to Towson in several ways, including student enrollment and scope of academic offerings, is especially important. I have every confidence that she will hit the ground running as she works with Towson’s campus and greater communities to strengthen the institution’s position as one of the nation’s top-performing regional universities.”
Schatzel since July 2015 has served as interim president of EMU, a public university in Ypsilanti with an enrollment of 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students. As provost and executive vice president of academic and student affairs since 2012, she provides leadership for all academic, curricular, and research activities; and for enrollment management. She also is responsible for the Division of Information Technology.
Her many successes at EMU include:
- reorganizing academic and student affairs to improve the student experience;
- achieving three consecutive years of record undergraduate enrollment;
- developing a comprehensive degree completion and retention program;
- reinvigorating the Graduate College and Office of Research and Development.
Before joining EMU, Schatzel held several positions in the College of Business at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, beginning in 2000 as an assistant professor of marketing and rising to interim dean (2007-2008) and dean (2008-2012). As dean, she led the business college to reposition itself within a highly competitive market, leading to enrollment growth and enhanced ability to attract and retain outstanding faculty.
Schatzel also brings more than 20 years of corporate, new venture, and start-up experience to the Towson presidency, including serving as founding president and chief operating officer, and later as chief executive officer of a multinational industrial firm employing more than 1,500 people on four continents.
She is a member of the Board of Directors and chairs the Audit Committee for Health Alliance Plan, and also serves on the Audit and Finance Committee for Henry Ford Health Systems, both based in Detroit.
“I accept this appointment with great pride, passion, and a strong belief in the power and positive impact of public higher education,” said Schatzel. “Moreover, Towson University’s commitment to academic excellence, support for faculty research, research opportunities for students and engagement in the surrounding community strongly resonate with me. I am excited about working with the vibrant Towson University community.”
Schatzel earned her doctoral degree in business administration (with a major concentration in marketing) from Michigan State University and bachelor’s degree in economics and biology from Washington University in St. Louis.
Timothy J. L. Chandler has been serving as Towson University’s interim president since December 2014 and served as the university’s acting president from September to December 2014 following TU President Maravene Loeschke’s leave of absence and later resignation due to health reasons. Loeschke passed away in June 2015.
“During the past 15 months under Tim Chandler’s outstanding leadership, Towson University has kept its momentum going,” Chairman Shea and Chancellor Caret said in a joint statement. “Nothing stood still as he led the university through this period of transition. The USM community thanks him for his excellent service.”
Chandler graciously offered his congratulations to the incoming new president.
“We congratulate and welcome Dr. Schatzel to the Towson University community,” Chandler said today. “It is an exciting time at Towson. We are in the midst of celebrating our 150th anniversary, we recently released an ambitious campus master plan for future growth, and our students’ academic performance continues to be extraordinary.
“We are pleased our new leader will be able to join us quickly,” he added, “and we will do everything we can to support a swift and smooth transition into the presidency.”
With Schatzel’s arrival in January, Chandler will return to his previous position as TU’s provost and vice president for academic affairs.
The selection of Schatzel follows seven months of work by the search and screening committee appointed in April 2015 by then-USM Chancellor William E. Kirwan. Dave Kinkopf, a member of the USM Board of Regents and a partner with the Baltimore law firm of Gallagher Evelius & Jones, LLP, chaired the committee comprising representatives from TU’s administration, faculty, staff, student body, and Board of Visitors. The committee recommended finalists for consideration by USM Chancellor Caret and the Board of Regents. The board made the final appointment.
