Union Institute & University welcomes new trustees

The Board of Trustees of Union Institute & University have elected Dr. Edwin C. Marshall and Mr. James A. Hyatt to the board effective January 28, 2021. The appointments are effective through January 2025.

Union President Dr. Karen Schuster Webb looks forward to the new trustees’ contributions. “Dr. Marshall and Mr. Hyatt are seasoned higher education administrators. They are both innovators in higher education with experience in diversity, financial management, and research. Their insights and knowledge will assist us as we continue to move forward in our mission to educate highly motivated adults who seek academic programs to engage, enlighten, and empower them to pursue professional goals and a lifetime of learning, service, and social responsibility.”

Edwin C. Marshall, OD, MS, MPH, FAAO, FNAP is professor emeritus of Optometry at the Indiana University School of Optometry and professor emeritus of Public Health in the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health and the Indiana University School of Public Health – Bloomington. Prior to retiring from Indiana University in 2013, Dr. Marshall also served Indiana University as vice president for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs. Before appointed vice president in 2007, he was the associate dean for Academic Affairs and Student Administration at the IU School of Optometry.

Dr. Marshall has served as chair of the National Commission on Vision and Health, chair of the Executive Board and vice president (USA) of the American Public Health Association, and chair of The Nation’s Health Editorial Advisory Committee. He is a past president of the National Optometric Association, the Indiana Optometric Association, and the Indiana Public Health Association. He also served as a United States Public Health Service Primary Care Policy Fellow and as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Public Health Approaches to Reduce Vision Impairment and Promote Eye Health and the National Eye Health Education Program Planning Committee of the National Eye Institute.

Dr. Marshall is a distinguished practitioner and fellow of the National Academies of Practice and a Diplomate in Public Health and Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. He is a recipient of the Tony and Mary Hulman Health Achievement Award in Public Health and Preventive Medicine from the Indiana Public Health Foundation, the Indiana State Health Commissioner Award for Excellence in Public Health, the Distinguished Service Award from the Vision Care Section of the American Public Health Association, the Distinguished Hoosier Award from the Office of the Governor, the Carel C. Koch Memorial Medal from the American Academy of Optometry, the Person of Vision Award from Prevent Blindness Indiana, and the William “Bill” Mays Minority Health Titan Award from the Indiana Minority Health Coalition.

Dr. Marshall was named the Indiana Optometrist of the Year (2006) by the Indiana Optometric Association and the National Optometrist of the Year by both the National Optometric Association (1976) and the American Optometric Association (2007). In 2009 he was inducted into the National Optometry Hall of Fame. In 2017 the Indiana Optometric Association honored Dr. Marshall with the Indiana Optometry Lifetime Achievement Award.

Indiana University has honored Dr. Marshall with the President’s Medal for Excellence, the School of Public Health-Bloomington Founding Dean’s Medallion for meritorious contributions to public health, and the Bicentennial Medal. In 2019 he was honored with the Indiana University Distinguished Alumni Service Award.

James A. Hyatt is a senior research associate and principal investigator at the Center for Studies in Higher Education, at the University of California, Berkeley. He has extensive experience both as a senior level executive at a number of the nation’s major research universities, including UC Berkeley; the University of Maryland, College Park; University of Arizona; and Virginia Tech. He has served as principal investigator on externally funded research projects in the areas of higher education financial management, financial reporting, pension reform and campus safety and security.

From 2008-2010, Mr. Hyatt served as president of the World Institute for Disaster Recovery Management. He is a recipient of the Berkeley Citation for distinguished achievement and service to UC Berkeley and is vice chancellor for Budget and Finance and CFO Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley.

During his tenure as vice chancellor for Budget and Finance at UC Berkeley, Mr. Hyatt implemented a new campus-wide financial management system and an interactive campus resource management reporting system (Cal. Profiles). While serving as executive vice president at Virginia Tech, Hyatt was actively involved in the passage of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Higher Education Restructuring Act that provided enhanced operating flexibility to Virginia’s public colleges and universities.

Mr. Hyatt received both his bachelor’s degree in English and his MBA in accounting and operations and systems analysis from the University of Washington. He is the author of several books on higher education financial management and is a recognized authority on college and university budgeting, financial management and cost accounting.

Union Institute & University’s leaders are committed to the university’s purpose and mission. To learn more about our trustees, click here.