Interim chancellor named for IU Southeast

On June 7, IU announced IU administrator and education professor Barbara A. Bichelmeyer has been named interim chancellor at IU Southeast, according to a press release. Her new position will take effect July 1.

“Barb’s appointment rounds out a strong cadre of senior leadership at IU Southeast and allows us the stability necessary to make a smooth transition to a permanent chancellor at the beginning of the 2014-15 academic year,” John Applegate, IU’s executive vice president for University regional affairs, planning and policy, said in the release.

Bichelmeyer succeeds Sandra Patterson-Randles. She will retire as chancellor June 30 after serving 11 years in that role, according to the release.

“Sandra has led IU Southeast through a period of exciting change and growth and has positioned the campus well for the future,” Applegate said in the release.

Bichelmeyer will remain in the position for one year as the university searches for a permanent chancellor for IU Southeast, a campus that serves nearly 7,000 students. The University is currently in the process of forming a search committee.

“I am honored to serve as interim chancellor of IU Southeast,” Bichelmeyer said in the release. “Over the past five years, I have come to know and respect many faculty and administrators at IU Southeast, and I am excited about spending the next year living in New Albany.”

Bichelmeyer joined the Bloomington faculty in 1996 as an assistant professor in the School of Education, becoming an associate professor in 2002 and a full professor in 2009. She served as associate dean of faculties for IU Bloomington from 2007 to 2009 and accepted her current role as associate vice president for university academic policy and planning in 2009, according to the release. She is also currently director of IU’s Office of Online Education.

“I look forward to working more closely with my colleagues at Southeast as we build on the successes of Chancellor Patterson-Randles and strengthen partnerships between the campus, the university and the community to create an even brighter educational and economic future for the citizens of southeast Indiana.”

While Bichelmeyer is serving as interim chancellor, she will step away from her role as associate vice president but will retain some of her duties as director of IU’s Office of Online Education.

-Makenzie Holland