With a focus on guiding principles and strategic planning, Dr. Lillian Schumacher was appointed as the first woman president in the 137-year history of Tiffin University in 2016. Schumacher realized the Celebrating Cultural Uniqueness initiative, which assures students, employers and our community that TU graduates, regardless of their area of specialty, are innovative problem-solvers who can leverage diversity of any type to work effectively with people who are different from them and produce innovative ideas. She created the Center for InterculTURal Excellence that launched in January 2022. President Schumacher also instituted TU’s Guiding Principles, which very clearly state TU’s strategic priorities, purpose, mission and vision along with the ICARE values. In addition, she led the effort in raising $8 million, after a $4 million donor match, within her first 18 months in the job and has since continued to fundraise successfully through a multi-year comprehensive campaign.
During her tenure, the University has achieved many firsts, including the first eSports and women’s wrestling programs in Ohio, the Center for Cyber Defense and Forensics designation by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency, the Performing Arts Laboratory (PAL), a state-of-the-art Center for Science and Technology academic building and the Center for Innovation and Learning, which will open fall 2025.
