Eastern Michigan University's Board of Regents held a special meeting today to announce Kim Schatzel, provost and executive vice president of academic and student affairs at Eastern Michigan University, will serve as interim president while Eastern conducts a national search for the successor to President Susan Martin. Provost Schatzel will begin her role following President Martin’s announced final day of July 7, 2015.
From the University's press release:
Kim Schatzel, provost and executive vice president of academic and student affairs at Eastern Michigan University, will serve as interim president while Eastern conducts a national search for the successor to President Susan Martin.
Schatzel will begin her role following President Martin’s announced final day of July 7, 2015. The EMU Board of Regents unanimously approved the appointment today, April 9, 2015, in a special meeting.
The regents also approved the establishment of the eight-member Board of Regents as the Presidential Search Committee, along with the formation of a Presidential Search Advisory Committee, to be comprised of four regents, along with individuals representing EMU faculty, the All-Union Council, students, staff, alumni and donors, among others. The four regents who will serve on the search advisory committee will be: Michelle Crumm, Michael Hawks, Jim Stapleton and Jim Webb. Regent Crumm will serve as chair to both the Presidential Search Committee and the search advisory committee.
“Provost Schatzel is the right person to continue to build on our successes,” said Mike Morris, chair of the EMU Board of Regents. “She has distinguished herself as an outstanding leader since joining Eastern in January 2012, and we are pleased she has agreed to accept this new role as Interim President.
“We are committed to a broad, national search to identify the best possible person to lead Eastern Michigan University as its 23rd President.”
Morris indicated that details of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee would be shared with the campus community once they are finalized, along with an outline of the timeline for the search.
The Presidential Search Advisory Committee will provide input, giving advice, and making recommendations to the Presidential Search Committee.
The regents also indicated that the search advisory committee has the authority to retain the services of an executive search firm and/or consultant, and any other contracts the committee chair deems necessary to conduct an effective and efficient search.
Schatzel's background includes extensive academic leadership and corporate business experience. Before coming to EMU, she served as dean of the College of Business at University of Michigan-Dearborn, having joined U-M Dearborn in 2000 as an assistant professor of marketing. She subsequently held several leadership positions until being named dean.
Her corporate experience includes more than 20 years of new venture and start-up experience. This includes serving as Founding President and COO, and later CEO of a multinational industrial firm employing more than 1,500 people on four continents.
Schatzel received a doctorate in business administration from Michigan State University - Eli Broad Graduate School of Management in 1999. Her research and teaching interests include innovation, new product success, and marketing communications.
She is a member of the Board of the Directors and Chair the Audit Committee for Health Alliance Plan (HAP) and also serves on the Audit and Finance Committee for Henry Ford Health Systems.
She has lived in Michigan for 30 years. Her family includes her husband, Trevor Iles, an entrepreneur and Michigan business owner; her son, Matthew and his wife, Katie; and daughter, Katie.
President Martin announced on March 31 that her final day as President would be July 7, exactly seven years after she began serving at Eastern. She is EMU’s first female president, and its longest serving leader since 2000.
Per the terms of her contract, she will take a one-year sabbatical before assuming the tenured position of Full Professor in the EMU Department of Accounting and Finance in the College of Business in fall 2016.