Chancellor Michelle Marks announced Tuesday she will step down in late August as leader of the University of Colorado Denver to spend more time with loved ones amid family health concerns.

Marks, who joined CU Denver in July 2020, will still serve as a professor in the university’s business school, according to a news release.

“It was a difficult decision because I love this institution. I believe in our people and our purpose, which is unique within our system and Colorado,” Marks wrote.

Marks holds a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from George Mason University. She is the chair of the national board of the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities.

She noted that her tenure kicked off weathering the pandemic but that despite those challenges, the CU Denver community made progress toward a 2030 strategic plan.

Fall enrollment is looking strong for the second year in a row, Marks said, and the university has hit an all-time high in sponsored research awards, up 50%.

Marks said CU President Todd Saliman has supported her decision and will be committed to finding the next right leader for the campus.

In the meantime, CU announced Thursday that Saliman has named Ann Schmiesing, the vice chancellor for academic resource management at CU Boulder, to serve as interim chancellor of the Denver campus. Schmiesing, who has been a CU Boulder faculty member since 1995, will not be a candidate for the permanent position and will return to the Boulder campus when the next chancellor is selected, according to a university news release.

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Originally Published: July 9, 2024 at 3:20 p.m.