LUCERNE, Calif. – In the wake of last week's announcement that the president of Marymount California University is leaving to take another position, the Board of Trustees on Tuesday announced the institution’s interim leadership.

Board Chairman Burt Arnold announced the appointment of interim co-presidents Provost and Dean of Faculty Ariane Schauer, Ph.D., and Senior Vice President of Finance Jim Reeves.

Dr. Schauer and Reeves are well-known and respected leaders who have both played key roles in the transformation of the institution, according to the board.

The Board of Trustees unanimously selected Schauer and Reeves as the new interim co-presidents and has great confidence in their abilities to provide executive leadership to the university, Arnold said.

Schauer and Reeves, with current President Michael Brophy – who leaves the university in August to serve as president of Benedictine University in Illinois – are working together during the transition to ensure the university’s progress toward its 2015-2016 priorities.

The trustees will select a consultant to guide a national search for the next university president.

Dr. Schauer joined the Marymount faculty in 1998. She has served as Marymount’s chief academic officer for the past six years, leading the institution’s academic transformation from a two-year college to a university with bachelor’s degrees, and the addition of master of business administration and master of science degrees.

She brings a breadth of expertise to the position including experience in accreditation, program development, curriculum, assessment, governance, advising, cross-cultural understanding and faculty development.

Schauer serves as a peer evaluator for the WASC Senior College and University Commission and regularly presents to higher education peers. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Reeves joined Marymount in 1978 as a member of the faculty and quickly moved into a leadership role.

Serving three university presidents, Reeves was appointed dean of Student Affairs in 1982, and since 1994 has served in the senior leadership role of vice president. He was promoted to senior vice president in 2013.

Reeves' oversight of the institution’s finances and operations has helped grow the student body and expand to sites in San Pedro as well as to Lake County, where the university has established its presence at the Marymount Castle in Lucerne.

His work in managing the institution’s real estate assets, including playing a key role in the acquisition of Marymount’s two student residential sites, is viewed as a milestone in advancing the student experience at Marymount.

Reeves holds a master’s degree in education from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

For information about the university visit www.MarymountCalifornia.edu .