By: Claire McKenna 

Staff-Writer

Our sixth Chancellor of IU South Bend, Susan Elrod, will retire in December, prompting searches for a replacement. 

Before IU South Bend, Elrod earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at California State University, Chico, and then a Ph.D. in Genetics at University of California, Davis. Elrod has also had many leadership and teaching positions before IU South Bend, including being a Professor of Biological Sciences at Cal Poly State University, and Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at California State University, Chico. 

At IU South Bend, Chancellor Elrod has done many great things for this school, including launching the “Map the Gap” program to help high schools “gappers” engage in developing life, professional and educational plans, leading the campus through the COVID-19 pandemic using a shared leadership approach with minimal impact on campus health, and much more. 

The university will hold listening sessions on Tuesday, Sept. 11 asking the community of IU South Bend what attributes they are looking for in a chancellor. 

These sessions will be facilitated by Debbie Ford, the chair of the search committee, as well as Steve Leo and Brian Bustin from Storbeck Search. Groups are urged to come with answers to the question “What do you see as the key challenges and opportunities to be addressed by the next Chancellor?” and more, posted in the Daily Titan. 

The staff forum will be held from 9 to 10 a.m., the student forum from 2:15 to 2:45 p.m. and the faculty forum from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. All groups will come to the SAC in rooms 221, 223 and 225. Do not miss this opportunity for your voice to be heard!