Towson University in Maryland Names Melanie Perreault as Its Next Leader

Melanie Perreault, provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs at Towson University, has been named interim president of the university, effective February 1, 2023. President Kim Schatzel is leaving Towson to become the nineteenth president of the University of Louisville. (See WIAReport post.)

Commenting on Dr. Perreault’s appointment as interim president, President Schatzel said, “Dr. Perreault is an exceptional leader and a true champion for Towson University. Her dedication to student success, faculty excellence and institutional inclusion make her the perfect choice to lead the TU community during this important transition. I look forward to supporting her and the rest of TU’s senior leadership team in the weeks ahead.”

“I am honored to further serve this remarkable institution as interim president, and I look forward to working with our outstanding leadership team to continue Towson University’s rising momentum,” said Dr. Perreault.

Towson University is a state-operated educational institution with nearly 18,000 undergraduate students and almost 3,000 graduate students, according to the latest data furnished to the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 60 percent of the undergraduate student body.

Dr. Perreault has served as Towson University’s chief academic officer since February 2019. She had been provost of Buffalo State College in New York. Earlier in her career, Dr. Perreault was department chair, a full professor of history, and associate provost at Salisbury University in Maryland.

Dr. Perreault received a bachelor’s degree in history from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. She earned a Ph.D. in colonial American history from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia