After nearly three years, Rev. Dr. Eric Albert Zimmer will step down as the president of the University of Saint Francis to pursue other academic and religious pursuits.
The president of the University of Saint Francis, Rev. Dr. Eric Albert Zimmer, has recently announced his plans to step down from his position so that he can pursue other opportunities within academia and the church. His last day will be May 8, 2023, at the end of the academic year.
Once Fr. Zimmer finishes out his position, his day-to-day responsibilities will be covered by Dr. Lance Richey, who serves as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Theology. Fr. Zimmer and Dr. Richey will work together with the USF leadership team to make sure that the transition of responsibilities is smooth for the school. Fr. Zimmer will continue to appear at several school functions as the president, such as Commencement.
In an article on the University of Saint Francis website, Fr. Zimmer was quoted about his time at the school, saying, “I have enjoyed my time at the University of Saint Francis. Over the last three years, we have met many challenges. I am grateful for the efforts of many who have assisted me in achieving our goals. I look forward to assisting in the transition and I am confident that I will be leaving the University in the hands of tremendously talented and capable colleagues.”
Fr. Zimmer also said that he made his decision to step down after talking with the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, the sponsoring congregation of the University, the Chair of the USF Board of Trustees, and Most Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades, Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.
USF’s Board of Trustees Chair, Richard A. Poinsatte, spoke about Fr. Zimmer’s decision, saying, “We are very grateful for Father Zimmer’s efforts on behalf of our students over the past three years. We wish him the very best as he moves into the next phase of his career and service to the Church.”
President Zimmer has been at the University of Saint Francis for the past three years and has quite the list of achievements, such as reorganizing the health insurance program so that it saved the school two million dollars while also expanding the healthcare services available to employees; he opened an addition to the USF Crown Point site, which allowed for double enrollment at that campus; he created the Presidential Catholic Scholarship and the Catholic Foundation Scholarship which encouraged more Catholic schools to enroll in the school; he restructured the school’s Information Technology services, saving the school one million dollars the year after the restructuring; he formalized the Assisi Program for Leadership and Discipleship, which is a program aimed at growing the discipleship and leadership skills of Catholic students; he introduced several new academic programs, most of which were in the Health Sciences field; he was in charge of USF during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensured that students were able to receive a high quality of academic instruction while also keeping the campus community healthy and safe; he led a successful campus master planning process; he oversaw investments in the athletic facilities, which included renovation of the south endzone, and the installation of premium suites at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium, installation of a new scoreboard for football and soccer, installation of new turf, and a new golf simulator for training the golf teams; and he relocated the Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership to the main campus to make it for convenient for students.
The Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration is focused on keeping up the impact and strength of the education the university provides to its students. The Board of Trustees and the Provincial leadership will work together to find the next University of Saint Francis president.
More information about the University of Saint Francis can be found on the school’s website.