LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The University of Louisville's new president had her first day on the job on Wednesday.Â
Kim Schatzel was named the university's 19th president on Nov. 30, 2022. She was formerly president of Towson University in suburban Baltimore.
Last November, UofL board of trustees ratified Schatzel's appointment and $925,000 base salary. Schatzel, 66, has a mix of academic and business credentials as well as a track record of success for Black students at Towson, which has a greater share of nonwhite students than U of L.
She was one of around a dozen university presidents who applied for the top position at U of L.
"This university is vital to Louisville, to Kentucky, to our nation and to the world, and its future is bright," Schatzel said. "Now that I am on campus, I am committed to learning so much more about UofL and its community."
Schatzel said her listening tour starts immediately. She is participating in listening sessions in February around campus that will be capped at 100 people.
To reserve a spot, click here.
Schatzel replaces Neeli Bendapudi, who led the university from 2018-21. Bendapudi, the former provost of the University of Kansas, left UofL in Dec. 2021 to become president of Penn State University. Mary Nixon, chairwoman of the board of trustees, said UofL was "shocked" by Bendapudi's departure after less than four years on the job.
Schatzel is a professor of marketing who began her academic career in the late 1990s following about a decade of business experience as a manufacturing executive. From 1989-93, she co-founded and led ICM/Krebsoge Corp., a powdered metal components manufacturer that supplied automakers, according to her detailed resume submitted to U of L.
She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1978 and earned a doctorate in business administration from Michigan State University in 1999.
Before joining Towson, Schatzel was the provost and interim president of Eastern Michigan University.
Related Story:
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
