Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Syracuse University appointed Lois Agnew as interim vice chancellor and provost, Chancellor Kent Syverud announced in a Friday SU News release. The appointment follows the university’s announcement that Gretchen Ritter will step down from the position, which she has held since 2021.

Agnew, who has served as SU’s associate provost for academic affairs since July 2023, will officially assume the interim position as vice chancellor and provost on July 1, according to the release. She is also a member of the Academic Strategic Plan Steering Committee and chair of the Curricular Thematic Group.

“In working with Lois, I have found her to be a source of wise counsel, sound judgement and strategic leadership,” Syverud said in the release. “I am confident she will transition seamlessly into this new position and be an outstanding steward of the academic and research enterprise.”

Agnew’s leadership at SU has included her work with the Retention Council, expansion of access for transfer students from Onondaga Community College, her support of the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising, and her recruitment and hiring of a new director for the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, the release states.

“I am grateful for the Chancellor’s confidence in me to serve in this role at such a pivotal time in our university’s history,” Agnew said in the release. “Despite the headwinds facing higher education, Syracuse University has remained focused on advancing our academic mission and vision.”

Agnew has been a member of the SU community since 2004, beginning as a professor of writing and rhetoric, the release states. She served as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences before becoming provost for academic affairs, having served previously as Arts and Sciences’ associate dean of curriculum, innovation and pedagogy.

She has also held administrative positions such as interim chair of the department of African American Studies, chair of the department of Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition and director of undergraduate studies for the writing program, according to the release.

In her time at Arts and Sciences, Agnew has been involved in developing revisions to the liberal arts core, has developed health humanities and digital humanities majors and organized the school’s annual undergraduate research festival, according to the release.

“I look forward to working with the Chancellor, the leadership team and my faculty colleagues to continue elevating the University as a preeminent global research institution that prepares our students for success,” Agnew said in the release.

Published on June 22, 2024 at 12:13 am

Contact Griffin: gbrown19@syr.edu