Vice Provost and Executive Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Gretchen Ritter is the next Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Syracuse University effective Oct. 1, according to an email Monday from outgoing Executive Vice President and Provost Bruce McPheron. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State
Gretchen Ritter, vice provost and executive dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will step down from her position and start at Syracuse University effective Oct. 1, according to an email Monday from outgoing Executive Vice President and Provost Bruce McPheron.
Ritter will be the next vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer of Syracuse University, remaining in her current role at Ohio State at least through Aug. 1, according to McPheron’s email. She has been with Ohio State since August 2019 and oversaw key changes in the College of Arts and Sciences, after serving as Cornell University’s dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2013-18.
“During her tenure, Dean Ritter diversified and expanded the college’s senior leadership, expanded the college’s research infrastructure, oversaw the creation and launch of more than 20 new certificates, majors and minors, remade the Dean’s Advisory Council, advanced the implementation of the new General Education program, and oversaw the merger of the Moving Image Production and Film Studies programs, now part of the newly renamed Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts,” McPheron states in the email.
During her time at Ohio State, Ritter worked with University President Kristina M. Johnson to lead the development of the Race, Inclusion and Social Equity (RAISE) initiative — which aims to hire 150 diverse tenure-track faculty in the coming years — McPheron’s email states.
The College of Arts and Sciences is one of Ohio State’s largest colleges, “comprising 38 academic departments and schools, more than 20 centers and institutes, and more than 80 major programs,” McPheron’s email states. The college includes nearly 1,300 faculty members and serves more than 17,000 undergraduate students and 2,300 graduate students.
According to a Syracuse University announcement, the school selected Ritter after a global search and her appointment was approved by the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees and endorsed by the search committee.
“Gretchen’s track record of success as an academic leader, educator, researcher and writer will allow her to make an immediate impact on Syracuse University’s research and academic enterprise,” Kent Syverud, chancellor and president of Syracuse University, said in the announcement. “As a prolific social scientist, Gretchen is inspiring as is her academic work on contemporary issues facing our society. Her contributions will elevate Syracuse University’s global standing as a preeminent research institution.”
Ritter’s appointment at Syracuse University marks the conclusion of Zhanjiang “John” Liu’s tenure as interim vice chancellor and provost, according to Syracuse’s announcement. Liu will continue in his position until Ritter begins in October.
“New York is home to me and has played such a profound role in shaping my life—both personally and professionally,” Ritter said in Syracuse’s announcement. “To have the opportunity to serve in leadership alongside Chancellor Syverud at one of the most prestigious universities in my home state is truly a dream come to fruition. I look forward to working with faculty, leadership, students and staff at a time when Syracuse University is poised to achieve even higher levels of excellence.”
