A ‘Student Success-Oriented’ Leader

During his two-year tenure, Alexander Schilt brought energy and enthusiasm to Eastern’s top job.

By his own admission, Alexander “Alex” F. Schilt — the scholar who became Eastern’s 22nd president — was never a great student. But he did have a knack for perseverance and, especially, effective leadership. In high school he was elected student body president. At the University of Wyoming, he was known for effectively representing fellow undergraduates who ran afoul of the student affairs dean.

As both a scholar and university administrator, Schilt never lost this passion for helping students — especially strivers like him — make the most of their collegiate opportunities.

He brought this passion to EWU after H. George Frederickson retired as Eastern’s president in early 1987. EWU’s Board of Trustees had convened a national search for Frederickson’s successor, and Schilt, who at the time was serving as chancellor of the University of Houston’s downtown campus, was selected. He assumed Eastern’s highest office later that year.

“Just looking at Alex, you see energy and enthusiasm for Eastern Washington University,” Mike Ormsby, then chair of the EWU Board of Trustees, told this magazine. “He has a strong background in student services; he knows how to work with people; and he has worked in both urban and rural areas.”

Schilt’s tenure included the first major renovation of the Science Building, upgrades to collections’ organization at JFK Library and securing legislative approval for development of what is now the University District in Spokane.   

Early in his term, however, Schilt gained a degree of notoriety for his decision to forego campus residency and instead move into an EWU Foundation-owned house in Spokane. He thus became the first Eastern president to decline to reside in University House, also known as the President’s House, since completion of its construction in 1929. The house regained its status as home to the university’s leaders in 1998.

After two years of service, Schilt resigned the EWU presidency in September 1989. He returned to the University of Houston, where he served as system chancellor until 1995. He is remembered there as a visionary, student success-oriented leader who “laid the foundation for its future growth.”

Alexander “Alex” F. Schilt died on July 9, 2025. He was 84 years old.