Satz to retire after relapse

Committee will name next provost after it selects next chancellor

By: DJ Slater

Posted: 10/13/05

Provost and Vice Chancellor Ron Satz will retire from his duties Monday after undergoing further treatment at Luther Midelfort Clinic for the resurgence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Satz, who served the university for 22 years, said he will be "continuing treatments that will be ongoing for some time," which have forced him to leave his duties to Interim Provost Steve Tallant.

Interim Chancellor Vicki Lord Larson announced Satz's retirement last Tuesday and said it is in his best interest to regain his health.

"All of the activities of the university will go on as planned," she said. "He (Satz) will be greatly missed, but we'll continue as we have with Interim Provost Tallant."

Tallant could not be reached for comment after several attempts to contact him Wednesday.

With the chancellor search already in progress, Larson said, the university first will focus on finding a new chancellor. Once the search and screen committee selects that person, it will work with the university to appoint a permanent provost, she said.

"Our focus is we want him to get well and have everything go well for him," she said. "The university has been operating during the time that he was out, and Provost Tallant has been filling in remarkably well."

Satz came to the university in 1983, serving as the dean of Graduate Studies and Research. He then moved on to the dean of the School of Human Sciences and Services in 1994 and eventually became the founding dean of the College of Professional Studies in 1995 before accepting the Provost position in 1999.

His struggle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma began on Dec. 26, 2003, when he underwent his first treatment. He continued to work part time during this phase and eventually returned to his full-time position on Nov. 8, 2004. A relapse of the disease struck again in late April, which put him on medical leave.

Losing Satz to retirement is something Student Senate President Aaron Olson described as losing a "battler for students."

"He always put us first," he said. "He's a kind, gentle man. You get that the first minute you talk to him."

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a cancer that attacks the disease-fighting networks within the body. Victims of the disease have a 50-percent survival rate, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Andy Soll, vice chancellor of Business and Student Services, said even though Satz won't come back as a Provost when he gets healthy, he still has the ability to return as a professor or to assist the university through various means.

Satz emphasized his feeling of connection with the university, even in retirement.

"I'm a Blugold through and through," he said. "UW-EC and Eau Claire are an integral part of my life."

As a provost, Satz worked with numerous academic leaders to oversee a budget of more than $50 million and served as a leader to the various colleges on campus. He also supervised many academic support units, ranging from International Education and Admissions to Student Development and Diversity.

As he leaves the university, he said he will greatly miss the daily contact with students, faculty and the academic staff.

"I love this university," he said. "It has outstanding students, faculty and academic staff and, in my opinion, it has been blessed with fine leadership."