Grand Valley State University President Arend D. Lubbers has appointed Timothy O. Schad to the office of Vice President for Finance and Administration. Tim Schad will be an outstanding addition to Grand Valley's leadership team, Lubbers said. Tim is highly regarded as a manager, an entrepreneur and a team-builder. These are precisely the qualities required for this important and demanding job, Lubbers said.
Schad will replace Ronald F. VanSteeland who retires March 30 after serving GVSU for 35 years. Schad, a Grand Rapids native, is chairman of the board of Nucraft Furniture Company. He holds an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and the MBA degree from the Harvard Business School.
At GVSU, the Vice President for Finance and Administration has wide ranging responsibilities including all financial and business affairs, building and grounds management, construction of facilities and oversight for intercollegiate athletics. The Vice President for Finance and Administration is the university's chief financial officer, a member of the executive cabinet and of the budget committee.
I am thrilled to be joining Grand Valley State University, Schad said. Throughout my years in business, I have learned that I find the greatest personal satisfaction through service to organizations that contribute to the needs of society. Helping Grand Valley to meet the challenges of the next decade will be both exciting and rewarding, Schad said. I have watched GVSU become the leading institution of higher learning in our area. Good programs and good management have made this possible. Those are Grand Valley traditions that I want to help to continue, he said.
Schad joined Nucraft in 1980 after a seven years with General Motors, several years of which were in GM's New York treasurer's office. At Nucraft, Schad served as vice president (1980-85) and president (1985-1997). Since 1997 he has been chairman of the board. Schad also serves as chairman of the board of Kendall College of Art & Design and as a trustee of Ferris State University. He will resign from the Ferris and Kendall boards upon joining GVSU.
Schad will be one of the university's six operating officers; he will join the provost, the vice president for university relations, the vice president for development, the secretary of the Board of Trustees, and the equity and planning officer in managing the university's daily affairs. All six report to the President.
