IU South Bend appoints search committee to identify next chancellor
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Susan Elrod, chancellor of Indiana University South Bend, is planning to retire at the end of the year. The university announced Monday that a search committee has been formed to identify her successor.
IU South Bend said in a news release that during her tenure, Elrod spearheaded the development of a new strategic plan for the university. Her efforts led to the purchase of the historic Engman Public Natatorium site as a permanent home for the school’s Civil Rights Heritage Center and the launch of the new Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
She also played an active role in securing local economic development funds and a $5 million gift from the Vera Z. Dwyer Charitable Trust to support a $10 million renovation to create the Dwyer Healthcare Simulation Center, set to open in Parkside Hall this fall.
“I am proud of the many accomplishments that we have achieved together to strengthen IU South Bend and accelerate its impact as an even greater force for education, social mobility and the public good in north central Indiana,” Elrod said in the release. “I look forward to helping with a smooth leadership transition and am excited to watch the continued soaring success of our IU South Bend campus in the years ahead.”
The university said under Elrod’s leadership, it has seen increased enrollment, greater community engagement and new partnerships. Since she took office in 2019, the campus achieved a Top 10 Military Friendly School designation and moved to fourth place in U.S. News Social Mobility Rankings for public regional universities in the Midwest.
IU South Bend, Indiana University’s oldest and largest regional campus, enrolls approximately 4,500 students and employs nearly 200 full-time faculty.
Pennsylvania-based Storbeck Search will lead the effort to find the campus’ next chancellor. Members of the search committee include South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership CEO Bethany Hartley, Student Government Association President Chloe Garner, along with several lecturers and professors. The committee is chaired by IU Southeast Chancellor Debbie Ford.
An estimated time frame for naming Elrod’s successor was not provided.