Editor's Note: This story has been updated to provide context on the reference to John Schnatter's use of a racial slur on a conference call.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After an extensive search following the departure of former president Neeli Bendapudi nearly one year ago, the University of Louisville named Kim Schatzel as its next president, the board of trustees announced Tuesday.

Mary Nixon, board of trustees chair at the University of Louisville said, “You told us you wanted someone that would engage the constituents in new and different ways, increase the resources available for the university to be able to invest in its strategic priorities and we found that person in Dr. Kim Schatzel.”

Schatzel, 66, has served as the president of Towson University (TU) since 2016. TU is one of 12 universities that are part of the University System of Maryland. She previously served as provost of Eastern Michigan University and dean of the College of Business at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.  Schatzel is a marketing professor. She will officially assume the UofL presidency on Feb. 1, 2023. 

Kim Schatzel, a nationally recognized leader with extensive experience in both higher education and the private sector, has been chosen as the 19th president of the University of Louisville. (University of Louisville)

“The University of Louisville is a historic university with rich traditions that provides leadership to Kentucky as the premier metropolitan research university for the Commonwealth,” Schatzel said. “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."

Schatzel’s track record of leadership includes advancing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as priorities, UofL officials said in a press release announcing her appointment. She's credited with building a strong academic profile at Towson University, which enrolls approximately 20,000 students, while emphasizing accessibility, affordability and inclusive student success.

Schatzel not only knows about strong academics, but also athletics.  She currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA), a premier mid-major conference that Towson University competes in with 19 Division I athletics teams. She also served as the CAA representative to the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum.

In her new role at UofL Dr. Schatzel says she intends to strongly support UofL Health and athletics. 

“Fully support athletics, both from the fact that as I said I talked to the students when I was on campus and one of the things that they love about this campus is pride that the athletics bring to UofL as well as the reputation that it provides. So I am thrilled to be part of a university and a conference where athletics at that performance level is there," Dr. Schatzel said.  

At TU, Dr. Schatzel explained she’s helped introduce a number of priorities to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.  It is these priorities that Dr. Schatzel plans on carrying over at UofL.

“I created the first vice president of inclusion and institutional equity on the campus itself as well as the first in Maryland. We put together a strategic plan that we launched last year, so its many, many details that have to go in place but the first and most important thing is to make a commitment to the fact that you want inclusive excellence on campus,” Dr. Schatzel said.  

Officials said Louisville poured through a field of nearly 60 candidates, and none from within the university were considered.

UofL has not had a long-standing president since James Ramsey, who served in the role for 14 years. After a string of interim and short-term leaders, Dr. Schatzel says she intends to be here for the long haul.

“I want to make it real clear you’re stuck with me,”  Dr. Schatzel said. "This is a fabulous institution, this is an opportunity of a lifetime everything I’ve described about this institution completely resonates with me I also know how to make the kind of transformational change that everyone wants to participate in on the campus, it takes time so I am committed to that time frame."

Bendapudi left UofL in Dec. 2021 for the top job at Penn State University. Lori Stewart-Gonzalez, who had been provost under Bendapudi, has served as Interim President since her departure.

Bendapudi was named the 18th president of UofL in April 2018. She was hired away from the University of Kansas, where she served as provost, executive vice chancellor, and dean of the business school. 

During her time in Louisville, Bendapudi led the university through crisis after crisis.

She was president when Papa Johns founder and wealthy UofL trustee John Schnatter was recorded repeating a racial slur on a conference call — an allegation Schnatter denies — the blowback from which prompted the removal of his name from Louisville's football stadium.

Schnatter said audio that his lawyer released of the call, which he said was recorded without his knowledge by a Laundry Service executive, proves the PR firm was out to get him by linking the comment made about Colonel Sanders. Kentucky is a one-party consent state, meaning the firm didn't have to tell Schnatter he was being recorded.

Her departure from UofL came amid major upheaval at the athletic department. Louisville's former Director of Athletics Vince Tyra resigned from his role hours after Bendapudi announced her departure.

Dr. Schatzel says her priority come February will be to go on what she describes as a listening tour of campus.

“I am going to take a few weeks talking to as many people as possible, asking them what do they want to tell me, what questions should I be asking, if they were in my shoes what would they want to know, and I’ll learn a lot from being able to do that.”