By Dante U. Barboy
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The newly appointed president of Towson University, Kim Schatzel, said last week that she plans to extend the school’s impact on the region by making connections, developing partnerships and taking the institution to the next level.
“I’m looking forward to working with everybody here to be able to find out what we can do to be able to get to the next phase of Towson,” Schatzel said Dec. 10 during a visit to campus. “Everybody is so proud of this institution but they feel like there is an unrealized potential, and I want to work with everybody to have that potential be realized over the next few years and I know that the strengths are just enormous and numerous at this institution.”
Schatzel expressed how welcomed and appreciated she felt not only after being named president, but also when she visited the campus with her husband for the first time.
Schatzel said during a speech at the school’s Potomac Lounge that she knew during her first visit in October that Towson was a special place. From talking to students, she said she got the impression that TU was a place where students felt at home. She said the school feels small but has many opportunities.
“I want the university to be the best that it can be, and it already has a terrific reputation,” Schatzel said. “What I want to do is to be able to work with people to help us do even more by making connections through partnerships, whether its businesses or non-profits. I know that it’s hard for organizations to figure out how to get around a university, so I want to be able to work on the fact that we’re way more accessible to everybody that’s around.”
Schatzel said she plans to respect and continue the philosophy of outgoing president Timothy Chandler towards the #occupyTowson movement.
“I know that the conversation that Dr. Chandler had with the students was very thoughtful and very comprehensive, and the agreement that they arrived to I have a lot of respect for,” Schatzel said. “I have great confidence in the fact that Dr. Chandler made the right decision and I’m looking forward to supporting that decision when I come on board.”
Chandler believes that Schatzel is exactly what TU needs and that her personality goes perfectly with TU’s culture.
Chandler said he expects Schatzel to study the Student Government Association initiatives and proposals surrounding the #occupyTowson movement, adding that he expects her to listen to everyone carefullybefore making decisions.
“Everything that the students brought up during the movement are things that the university has been working on and is aware of,” said Kurt Anderson, the SGA president. “A lot of that stuff is pretty feasible and have been institutional goals. I think that what the president’s office got some clarity on is that there needs to be more communication about a lot of these things. I don’t think it’s necessarily going to change much.”
Anderson added that the only thing he might be a bit worried about is that because Schatzel is new, her first semester will be spent understanding how the administrative offices function and operate. He believes that she values student input and participation, and he said he is excited to see what her leadership will bring to the university.
Referring to the future at Towson , Chandler said he expects the school to grow and become even more important, but not without leaving behind the principles that set it apart from the rest.
“I think it’ll be a bigger institution, an even better institution, and I think we’ll be doing some new things academically,” Chandler said. “But its core values will be the same. It’ll be a student- oriented, student-centered, learning-centered place.”
Anderson is looking forward to a great working relationship with Schatzel, just like he had with Chandler and the late president Maravene Loeschke. When it comes to growth of the university, he said he believes that the next five to 10 years will be crucial as people are now beginning to understand the impact that TU has on the community.
“I anticipate the number of students who consider this school their first choice to grow,” Anderson said. “I anticipate it being more and more competitive to get in and I anticipate our academic programs growing. As far as where things will go in the next 10 years, I’ve got an open mind. I just think things are going to be better, beyond that it’s kind of difficult to pinpoint. I anticipate more people knowing who Towson is, people hopefully pronouncing Towson correctly.”