She began her presidency of Wright State University on July 1, 2017, and stepped down from the position December 31, 2019, midway through her five-year appointment.

In 2005, Schrader received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring from the White House.

[9] She was honored as one of the 2005 "Idaho Women Making History" by the Gender Equity Center at Boise State University.

"[12] On May 21, 2014, during Schrader's tenure as chancellor of Missouri S&T, the U.S. Department of Education launched a probe of the university for potential Title IX violations over their handling of sexual violence cases.

[17][14] Criticism of her leadership at Missouri S&T led to an effort to hold a vote of no confidence against her, which she acknowledged after accepting the Wright State presidency.

[19] Schrader entered the position of President of Wright State on July 1, 2017, after a time of financial and political turmoil at the school.

[27] However, controversy arose when the university released a statement implying she had declined to accept an annual raise or bonus, when in fact neither had been offered.

One member of the Wright State University Board of Trustees called her proposed 2019 fiscal year budget "a recipe for disaster.

[36] Members of the Wright State Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) were particularly strident in their criticism of the handling of the budget.

[37] Tensions publicly erupted after a closed-door negotiating session in January 2018 when hundreds of faculty and students marched across campus to an open budget forum hosted by Schrader.

At a February demonstration, a professor characterized the budget modifications as a "budget-cutting spree" that protects "extreme salaries and bloat of the upper administration" and "slashes" the core mission of the university.

[45] The faculty union maintained it would only strike if the president and board tried to "impose a contract that would damage education at Wright State.

[27][47][48] Several hundred faculty protested the stalled contract negotiations at the October 19 meeting of the Wright State Board of Trustees.

[40] In a January 6 statement, Schrader described the employment terms as "fair" and said "we can return to the bargaining table when the university is back on solid financial footing.