Susan Sciame-Giesecke, who has served as Indiana University’s vice president for regional campuses and online education since May 2022, will retire on June 30. An internal search is planned to fill the role.

“I am deeply grateful for the exceptional leadership Sue brought to our regional campuses and IU Online,” IU President Pamela Whitten said. “Her extensive experience as a regional chancellor made her the ideal leader to drive the regional campus IU 2030 strategic planning process, shape increasing collaboration across our regional campuses, and pioneer the extensive growth of IU Online. IU is stronger because of Sue and her team, and I wish her a restful and much deserved retirement.”

Indiana University will conduct an internal search to fill the role. Additional details about the search will be shared later. Search committee members are:

• Rob Lowden, chair, vice president of information technology.
• Mark Canada, chancellor, IU Kokomo.
• Andrea Halpin, dean of students, IU Kokomo.
• Susan Popham, associate professor of English, School of Arts, IU Southeast.
• Jorge Muniz, professor of music, composition and theory, IU South Bend.
• Frances Yates, librarian, IU East.
• Kristin Huysken, associate dean, College of Arts and Sciences, IU Northwest.
• Meredith Park Rogers, professor, School of Education, IU Bloomington.
• Lamia Scherzinger, senior lecturer in kinesiology and IUPUI Faculty Council’s online education committee chair, IUPUI.

Susan Sciame-Giesecke. Photo by Indiana University Sciame-Giesecke was the first at Indiana University to hold the vice president for regional campuses and online education role, which was formed in 2022 to provide focused strategic leadership for IU’s regional campuses and online programs. Prior to that, Sciame-Giesecke had served as chancellor of IU Kokomo and interim executive vice president for university academic affairs.

“It has been a true honor to serve with so many incredible leaders and colleagues across our regional campuses and in IU Online,” Sciame-Giesecke said. “I’m deeply proud of all that we’ve accomplished together, and IU will always hold a special place in my heart. I can’t wait to see how IU, our regional campuses and IU Online continue to grow and thrive in the years to come.”

In her current role, Sciame-Giesecke recruited three new chancellors for the East, Southeast and Kokomo campuses, launched numerous K-12 initiatives, including the Indiana College Core Certificate and the Career Pathways Programs, and established the GROUPS Program on each of the regional campuses. She has worked with her team to reimagine IU Online by centralizing and enhancing student services, scaling up programs for growth and relaunching a more targeted marketing strategy. As a result, IU Online has grown consistently each semester.

Under her campus leadership, Indiana University Kokomo saw record enrollment and graduation rates and launched numerous new degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate level.

And in her role as interim executive vice president, Sciame-Giesecke was responsible for IU’s regional campuses, leading collaborative efforts to maximize opportunities for student success.