LOUISVILLE, Ky. — University of Louisville (UofL) announced its new president on Wednesday.
Towson University President Kim Schatzel was selected as the next president of UofL, after a unanimous vote from the Board of Trustees during a special meeting on Nov. 30.
Schatzel, 66, has served since 2016 as president of Towson University in Maryland. She also is a professor of marketing. She previously served as provost of Eastern Michigan University and dean of the College of Business at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Schatzel will assume the presidency of Louisville, an Atlantic Coast Conference school, on Feb. 1, 2023. Her contract, released Wednesday, includes an annual salary of $925,000.
The Board had expressed the desire to find a candidate willing to stay 7-10 years.
“I want to make it real clear -- you’re stuck with me," Schatzel said at a news conference. "This is a fabulous institution; this is an opportunity of a lifetime.”
She plans to spend the first few weeks on a “listening tour,” gathering input from the university community and beyond. She promised a team approach to broaden the university's impact as an “anchor institution” for Louisville and the state.
"I am incredibly honored to be chosen to lead such a remarkable institution and look forward to working together with our campus and community partners to advance UofL’s reputation as a preeminent institution nationally recognized for its excellence in research and scholarly work, education, inclusive student success, innovation, the arts and athletics..." Schatzel said.
The board came to the decision after a nearly year-long and mostly closed search, which professor and department chair Dr. Ricky L. Jones has been critical of.
“I think it would have been incredible for the university to say 'we know what everybody else is doing but we’re going to have an open search,'" he said.
Jones called the decision to hired Schatzel a "missed opportunity." He had hoped the university would select a Black president to take the lead.
"Show that the university would be committed to putting somebody in the terminal decision making position where Black people have been exed out," he said. "You criticize what you love, because you want it to get better."
Asked about the desire from some in the community to have a person of color at the helm, board members said they prioritized finding a candidate with a background in diversity, equity and inclusion work.
"This city needed some healing, and we needed somebody who clearly not only was committed, but had proven in their previous role that they can take action and move the needle," Board of Trustees Chair Mary Nixon said.
While at Towson, Schatzel said the university established an Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity and named its inaugural Vice President.
Her track record of leadership includes advancing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as priorities.
She pointed out that Towson's African American, Latinx and Pell-eligible undergrads have the same graduation rate as the overall student body, eliminating what she called the "completion gap."
“We have not done that to that degree, that’s our number one priority,” UofL interim resident Dr. Lori Gonzalez said.
"Its very important that all student with all identities and all demographics thrive inclusively on this campus and can succeed on this campus," Schatzel said.
Schatzel says she was a first-generation college student like many UofL students.
“I hope they see themselves in me,” she said.
Schatzel said she plans to spend “at least 10 years” in the Louisville community, stressing it takes time to make transformational change at a university. She shrugged off her age, noting that she ran a half-marathon last year in 2 hours and 19 minutes at age 65.
“So I’ll be OK in my 70s,” she said.
According to a news release, she is one of less than two percent of university presidents who have significant business and private sector experience, spending more than 20 years as a corporate leader and serial entrepreneur in the technology and advanced manufacturing sectors.
Officials say Schatzel is credited with building a "strong academic profile" at Maryland's Towson University, which enrolls approximately 20,000 students, while emphasizing accessibility, affordability and inclusive student success.
The school has been looking for a new president since the resignation of Dr. Neeli Bendapudi nearly a year ago after serving in the position for three years. She moved to the top position at Penn State University. Since her leave, Dr. Lori Gonzalez has served as the university's interim president.
Gonzalez will be returning to her previous leadership role as executive vice president and university provost of UofL.
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