Eastern Michigan University’s interim president Kim Schatzel announced Friday that she will be leaving her position at EMU to be president of Towson University.
“I have great respect and admiration for the work we do at Eastern Michigan University,” Schatzel said in a press release. “... Eastern has been a wonderful place to call home. While I am saddened to be leaving so many good friends and colleagues, the opportunity to move closer to my family and my roots on the east coast, and to another outstanding institution such as Towson, was an opportunity I could not ignore.”
In an interview with The Eastern Echo Friday, she said she was offered the position after someone at Towson nominated her, though she doesn’t know who.
Towson is a public university located in the suburbs north of Baltimore. Founded in 1866, the 8-college university is about the size of EMU. According to US News & World Report, it runs on an endowment of $71 million and is 10 miles north of downtown. Her new gig as the Tigers’ president will start on Jan. 25, 2016.
“The big difference that Towson has that Eastern doesn’t is that they're 10 hours closer to my kids," Schatzel said. “So it was very much the fact that in the end it was a family decision to be closer to [my] children and the fact that I was raised on the east coast.”
Schatzel became the provost of EMU in 2012. While here she said she was most proud of combining the student and academic affairs offices into one. This, Schatzel said, allowed them to deal with everything from registration, to advising, to the degree completion program.
EMU did have its largest ever freshman class under her tenure, but there have also been issues. Schatzel took over as interim president when Susan Martin resigned. While working with her predecessor, EMU entered the controversial EAA program. The EAA was a state takeover of failing schools, mostly in the metro Detroit area, by Lansing.
That program led to a boycott of student teachers from the College of Education, protests which occupied the university president's office. The EAA now is currently under federal investigation for kickbacks and corruption.
The Board of Regents is going to vote on whether or not to stay in the program or leave it. When asked if the EAA was a mistake, Schatzel said that it was under the “purview of the board.”
As the Detroit News reported, the board voted to stay in the program, which was started in 2011 at the backing of Michigan Gov. Snyder. This was seen by many as a power grab from local school districts and has been the subject of scrutiny by the federal government as well as Michigan Radio and the Detroit Metro Times.
“Last year, in the December board meeting, President Martin recommended that fact that we would withdraw from the EAA,” Schatzel said. “So the administration has spoken on this issue.”
When asked about the state of the EMU football team’s sustainability, Schatzel said that the current program is "a part of a larger conversation about understanding athletics' funding." Schatzel said that she sees progress with the new coach, recruiting, performance.
“I definitely think that the best years are ahead and I have confidence with coach Creighton as well as the athletic director,” Schatzel said.
Schatzel said that an additional interim president will likely be needed before a permanent replacement for Martin can be found. That will be up to the Board of Regents.
