Gretchen Ritter

Following a three-year tenure as vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, today announced she will step down from the role to take on a new opportunity that will allow her to leverage her areas of expertise and pursue her professional passion. Ritter will become the University’s vice president for civic engagement and education, effective July 1. An interim provost will be appointed shortly following consultation with key stakeholder groups.

“Gretchen arrived at ���ϲ����� in the midst of a global pandemic and made an immediate impact on our academic and research enterprise,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Among her most significant achievements, ���ϲ����� now has a new and has already begun implementing its ambitious priorities. Gretchen’s contributions as the University’s chief academic officer will be felt for many years to come, and I look forward to her continued impact in this new role.”

Ritter began as provost in the fall of 2021 and focused on opportunities for the University to advance key academic priorities. Under Ritter’s leadership, the University has accomplished the following:

• Collaborated across academic disciplines, schools and colleges to create “Leading with Distinction,” an academic strategic plan created by faculty, staff and students.
• Recruited and hired academic deans to lead five schools and colleges, as well as outstanding faculty scholars, including hiring two of the largest faculty cohorts in University history.
• Responded to, prepared for and navigated the challenges created by the Supreme Court ruling eliminating race-based admissions.
• Launched several centers and institutes designed to tackle complex national and global issues, including the and the Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing.
• Developed and implemented a robust strategy for protecting and empowering free speech, free expression and academic freedom, including providing leadership and oversight of the task force charged with creating the “.”
• Created programming addressing important issues facing society, including free speech, civil discourse, artificial intelligence (AI) and others. These include thought- and dialogue-provoking events with former Congresswoman Liz Cheney and Rumman Chowdhury, data scientist and AI expert, among others.
• Took action to transform and expand the .

“Serving as ���ϲ�����’s chief academic officer has been a great personal and professional honor and afforded me the opportunity to return to the state where I grew up and earned my undergraduate degree,” says Ritter. “I am immensely proud of what the University has accomplished in recent years, particularly as it relates to our work in free speech, research excellence and academic strategic planning. With a divisive campaign season underway and as we confront challenges related to free speech and academic freedom, I am excited to take on this new role and help ���ϲ����� navigate this inflection point in higher education. I am grateful for the meaningful relationships I have created here and look forward to collaborating with many of my talented peers on this important work.”

As vice president for civic engagement and education, Ritter will, among other things, facilitate programming and events to foster civil dialogue, promote free expression and discourse across diverse viewpoints; collaborate with faculty scholars, academic programs, centers and institutes and other units to advance appreciation for civic engagement and community service; and support the Academic Strategic Plan goal of supporting students in developing the skills and orientations needed to participate as resilient, engaged citizens. Ritter will also continue her academic pursuits as a professor of political science in the and as a faculty affiliate with the .

Ritter, a leading expert in the history of women’s constitutional rights and contemporary issues concerning democracy and citizenship in American politics, joined ���ϲ����� after serving as executive dean and vice provost for The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences. Prior to her time at Ohio State, Ritter served as the Harold Tanner Dean of Cornell University’s College of Arts and Sciences, the university’s largest college. She was the first female to serve as dean of the college. Ritter also previously spent 20 years at the University of Texas at Austin, where she served as vice provost of undergraduate education and faculty governance, co-chair of the Gender Equity Taskforce and director of the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. She also taught at U.T. Austin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Princeton University, Cornell University and Harvard University. Ritter earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in political science from MIT.

Among the delegation visiting campus from the University of Seoul were Yongkul Won, president; Jung Hyeun Kim, dean of the College of Engineering; Kang Su Kim, dean of the College of Urban Science; Ji Hee Song, vice president of international affairs; Nohjeong Park, chief secretary to the president; and Eunhwa Shin, head of international partnerships.

Leaders from the University of Seoul met with ���ϲ����� leaders Jan. 8 to advance and expand academic and cultural collaboration and exchange between the two institutions. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)

They met with Chancellor Kent Syverud; Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Gretchen Ritter; and several other University leaders. The group also toured campus. A group from ���ϲ�����, including Chancellor Syverud, Provost Ritter and Dr. Ruth Chen, professor of practice in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, visited the University of Seoul last March.

University of Seoul President Yongkul Won, left, and Chancellor Kent Syverud sign the memorandum of understanding. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)

Among the possible outcomes of the burgeoning relationship between the two institutions are the establishment of a University center in Korea as well as the development of new University of Seoul programs that leverage ���ϲ�����’s study abroad and study away facilities. Other potential activities and programs include the exchange of faculty members; joint research activities, including semiconductor research; and participation in joint seminars and workshops.

The ongoing relationship between the two institutions includes an MOU between the University of Seoul and ���ϲ�����’s that was signed last year.

“As we seek to deepen ���ϲ�����’s relationships with partners in Korea, we were pleased to welcome leadership from the University of Seoul to our campus,” Ritter says. “We are interested in collaborating across many disciplines with our Korean counterparts, and I am very excited to explore these possibilities.”

Over the last several weeks, colleges and universities around our country have experienced a sharp uptick in antisemitism, Islamophobia and abhorrent conduct threatening members of campus communities based on their identity. Since the horrific Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, and throughout the escalating violence that has claimed the lives of innocent Palestinian and Israeli civilians, ���ϲ����� has been focused on the safety and well-being of our campus community. We have taken action and made decisions that have been difficult, and to some unpopular, with the security of our people at the forefront.

Today, the University must make another difficult decision. This afternoon, a faculty member in one of our academic departments, in partnership with student groups, had planned to host a Middle Eastern studies scholar for a teach-in. This event was first brought to the attention of the University less than 24 hours ago after the faculty member involved in planning the event contacted the Department of Public Safety (DPS) with safety concerns. Since learning of the event, DPS, in partnership with local and federal law enforcement, has been working to assess how to safely host such an event. At this time, based on that assessment, ���ϲ����� is not able to confidently ensure the safety of the attendees, the speaker and our whole campus community and, thus, has made the decision that this event will not occur as scheduled today.

���ϲ����� cares deeply about free speech and remains strongly committed to academic freedom. We support those seeking to become better informed about important public issues, such as the conflict in the Middle East. However, in the current environment, it is vital that all of us plan carefully and in advance to ensure free speech also occurs in a time, place and manner that takes into account the safety and security of our whole community. We will work with the organizers to reschedule this event when it can be done safely.

We urge our community to continue to show kindness and empathy to one another during these extraordinarily difficult times.

Sincerely,

Kent Syverud
Chancellor and President

Gretchen Ritter
Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer

With pomp and circumstance—including their first time singing the alma mater, the newest members of the Orange family were given a rousing, official welcome to the University during New Student Convocation Thursday in the JMA Wireless Dome.

An annual tradition, the academic program includes leadership and faculty processing into the JMA Dome with full regalia. As a highlight of�����ϲ����� Welcome, it’s also the first time new students gather together as a class.

Family members were there to cheer on their students, share dinner on the turf after the ceremony and say their goodbyes, as classes start next week.

The nearly 4,000 new and transfer students hail from 48 states, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico; 14 indigenous nations and 56 countries from around the world. University leaders and student speakers imparted advice, words of wisdom and posed thoughtful questions to the new students, embarking on this new journey.

Thomas O’Brien (Photos by Jeremy Brinn)

Food for Thought From an Upperclass Student

“Today, I ask you a question, a question that will guide the choices you make and the experiences you encounter during your tenure at this university, and that question is ‘what is your purpose here?’” asked Thomas O’Brien ’25, a film major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the student speaker.

O’Brien then shared his experience as a first-year student and how it did not go as how he had expected but realized it was on himself to make a change. “Opportunities are not handed to you, but rather you must be open to find and seek the opportunities that already surround you on this campus,” he said.

“Understand, whatever you believe your purpose is here, know that ���ϲ����� will provide you with the resources you need to succeed,” O’Brien said. “However, it is up to you to pursue the things you want to achieve and pursue them with a confidence and a belief that they will come true.”

Two Pieces of Wisdom From the Chancellor

Chancellor Kent Syverud offered two pieces of advice to new students.

The first: come as you are. “If you have not figured it out already, you will pretty soon: there is no one way of thinking, no one way of dressing, no one person who is the ‘normal’ here. People are unique and amazing and dazzlingly different. And that’s why it’s wonderful. Given that there is no ‘normal’ here, why not try just being yourself here. Not the image of perfection that appears on social media, not the identical replica of someone else, but please just be you. I believe you will find that if you come as you are here, you will become Orange.”

The second piece of advice from the Chancellor: Become more ���ϲ�����. “That’s the common thread in all the speeches you are hearing this week. People are trying to tell you to wake up. You have a chance that has been denied to so many people in this world: a chance to be part of a great university. So, take it. Please become more here, in your own unique and defining way. That’s what so many people have done before you, and you can too.”

Chancellor Kent Syverud addresses students and their families during New Student Convocation.

Dare to Be Fearless in Your Journey

“Every one of you have earned your place here and every one of you deserves to be here,” said Allen Groves, senior vice president and chief student experience officer, sharing how 42,500 individuals applied to be part of the new first-year class and 1,600 applied to be transfer students.

“When you are here in these coming days and years, I want you to fearlessly explore many new ideas and expose yourself to diverse points of views,” said Groves. “You are living in a time in which social media algorithms feed you what it believes and analyzes that you already believe and think, and intentionally screen out from you ideas and viewpoints that do not match your own.

“So, you’re going to have to take the initiative and take full advantage of the next few years and open yourself to talking with and engaging with people different from you. I hope you are willing to debate big contentious ideas, respectfully, listening probably more than talking because listening is where true knowledge is gained.”

Endless Possibilities

Nearly 4,000 new and transfer students gather during the New Student Convocation ceremony.

“Today you open the door to possibility—the possibility of who you will be as a student here, and the possibility of who you will become in the future,” said Gretchen Ritter, vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer.

Provost Ritter shared there are many ways for students to seize that possibility, noting research, experiential learning and intellectual bravery as prime examples.

“There are so many things you can do as a student here. There are paths to discovery and paths that you will forge. In all of this, I challenge you to embrace the insight offered by the great education philosopher John Dewey more a century ago when he wrote that ‘Every great advance in science has issued from an audacity of imagination,’” Ritter said.

Before the conclusion of the program, the newest students to enter ���ϲ����� recited the charge and sang the alma mater. The next time they will all be together in the JMA Dome will be for their Commencement.

Jeremy Jordan

Jeremy S. Jordan, a seasoned academic with extensive experience in sport and recreation management, has been named the next dean of the . The announcement was made today by Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer . His appointment, effective Sept. 1, was approved by the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees.

“Jeremy Jordan brings a combination of academic leadership experience and hands-on industry knowledge that will be a boon to Falk College and its professional programs—from food studies to marriage and family therapy to social work,” Provost Ritter says. “I look forward to working with him, especially on important initiatives like the launch of the esports degree and the expansion of the sport management program.”

Jordan is currently the vice provost for faculty affairs at Temple University in Philadelphia, where he is also a professor and Ed Rosen Senior Research Fellow in the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management’s Department of Sport and Recreation Management. He is the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, and has also been the director of the Sport Industry Research Center and the Millard E. Gladfelter Research Fellow.

Jordan’s research focuses on the impact of sport participation and events on individuals and communities, as well as the social, environmental and financial impact of sport events and organizations. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and has participated in more than 65 funded research projects.

Before joining Temple in 2008, Jordan held faculty positions at the University of Miami, Mississippi State University and the University of Memphis, and served as the athletic director at La Sierra University in Riverside, California. He earned a Ph.D. in sport management from The Ohio State University, a master’s degree in exercise and sport science from the University of Utah and a bachelor’s degree in physical education from La Sierra.

“I am honored to have been selected as the next dean of Falk College and look forward to becoming a member of the ���ϲ����� community,” Jordan says. “The college is known for its academic excellence, impactful research and commitment to community engagement. I admire the culture and rigor of the college and ���ϲ�����, and I look forward to contributing to the success of both with the support of the students, staff, faculty and alumni.”

The dean search committee, convened by Provost Ritter in February, was co-chaired by Falk College faculty members , professor of sport management and faculty athletic representative, and , associate dean of research and professor of public health.

“I am grateful to the committee members for their hard work in recruiting a talented leader like Jeremy Jordan to join our campus community,” Provost Ritter says.

Jordan succeeds , who is concluding her tenure as dean of the Falk College, a position she has held since 2005. She has served 45 years at ���ϲ�����. “Diane has truly left her mark on Falk College, shepherding it from its early days and overseeing multiple successful initiatives,” Provost Ritter says. “I thank her for her service and her incredible contributions to the college and the University.”

I am writing to provide an update on the graduate assistant union election. During a two-day election process, 764 eligible graduate students cast their votes with 728 voting to unionize.

As a result, 1,124 current graduate students will be represented by ���ϲ����� Graduate Employees United (SGEU) and Service Employees International Union Local 200United (SEIU).

The bargaining unit of qualifying graduate students includes:

• All University Ph.D. students who are: (i) matriculated in a doctoral degree program in the College of Arts and Sciences, Whitman School of Management, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, School of Education, Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, School of Information Studies, or College of Engineering and Computer Science; (ii) awarded a stipend and a condition of receiving the stipend is the performance of research, instructional or other specialty services that are related to the student’s academic program as duly appointed teaching assistants (TA), research assistants (RA) or graduate administrative assistants through the Graduate School.
• All University master’s students who are: (i) matriculated in a master’s degree program in the College of Arts and Sciences, Whitman School of Management, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, College of Visual and Performing Arts, School of Education, School of Architecture, Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, School of Information Studies, or College of Engineering and Computer Science; (ii) awarded a stipend and a condition of receiving the stipend is the performance of that in certain semesters these master’s students will provide research, instructional or other specialty services that are related to the student’s academic program as duly appointed TAs, RAs or graduate administrative assistants through the Graduate School.

Now that the election is complete, University and Union representatives will meet to discuss a possible schedule for negotiating a collective bargaining agreement, otherwise known as a “union contract.” This is an important process for all parties and we will negotiate in the spirit of partnership and respect that have been the hallmarks of our labor-management relationships to date. In the meantime, we remain committed to ensuring a positive, rewarding and successful experience for all our graduate students.

Finally, I want to thank our graduate students, union representatives and all members of our community for engaging in a constructive and respectful union election.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Ritter
Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer

I am writing today as a follow-up to��the message you received last week regarding the election agreement��made between the University, ���ϲ����� Graduate Employees United (SGEU) and Service Employees International Union Local 200United (SEIU) governing the SGEU union campaign and election. As the process moves forward, there will be much discussion, dialogue and debate about the merits of a union. I ask that our University community remain open to all viewpoints and treat others with grace and respect throughout.

The University will not take a formal position. What we will do is encourage our graduate students to give this careful consideration and make an informed decision. Talk with peers and mentors. Explore the advantages and disadvantages, opportunities and challenges, of unionizing. Participate in the election process to ensure each voice is reflected in this decision. The outcome of the election will be decided by a majority of those voting and will be binding for graduate students, which means each vote is critical to reflecting true consensus.

To assist our community members seeking information on unions, we have��. Graduate students interested in learning more about SGEU should contact organizers directly.

���ϲ����� currently has a collaborative relationship with four unions, including SEIU, that represent approximately 1,400 University employees. Should our graduate students make the collective decision to unionize, we will engage their union in the same collaborative, transparent and fair manner as we do with our existing union partners.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Ritter
Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer

Throughout this week, we have watched with deep concern and sadness as news has unfolded about the catastrophic earthquake in regions of Turkey and Syria. On behalf of ���ϲ�����, we extend our sincerest thoughts, care and compassion to all those impacted by the unfathomable loss and devastation.

We know these events have personally impacted some members of our community, their loved ones and their hometowns in incomprehensible ways. Dean of Students Sheriah Dixon has been in touch with those students we have been able to identify and who we believe are most closely affected to extend our support and share resources.

We recognize the impact of this tragedy extends across our campus community and may be affecting students, faculty and staff in a variety of ways. For those seeking support, we want to remind you of available resources:

• Students may contact the for confidential counseling 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 315.443.8000.
• Students seeking ongoing support can reach case managers by calling 315.443.4357.
• Faculty and staff may contact and reach trained clinicians 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 800.437.0911.
• Campus community members can reach Hendricks Chapel by calling 315.443.2901 or visiting the to find contact information for each chaplaincy.

In the face of such difficult circumstances, we also are deeply heartened by the way members of the Orange community have come together to show their support and solidarity and lend their help in any way they can. In particular, we want to recognize the Turkish Student Association and its efforts to raise awareness, collect donations and support those impacted. We encourage you to visit the association’s table in Schine Student Center where you can learn more and contribute to relief efforts.

Please continue to keep those impacted in Turkey and Syria in your thoughts and extending care and support to those in our community who have been affected.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Ritter
Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer

Allen Groves
Senior Vice President and Chief Student Experience Officer

The committee is composed of students, faculty and staff from the school and will be chaired by Christine (Christy) Ashby, professor of inclusive special education and disability studies and director of the Center on Disability and Inclusion. Ashby also recently served as co-chair of the Academic Strategic Plan Public Impact Working Group. Additional members of the search advisory committee include:

• Leela George, associate teaching professor, educational leadership
• Chris Johnson, associate provost for academic affairs
• Dawn Johnson, associate professor, higher education
• Jing Lei, professor and chair, instructional design, development and evaluation
• Paula Maxwell, director of information technology, School of Education
• Mario Rios Perez, associate professor, cultural foundations of education
• Sara Jo Soldovieri, graduate student, School of Education
• Savannah Stocker, undergraduate student, School of Education
• Torin Washington, assistant dean for advancement, School of Education

“The search advisory committee will play an integral role in identifying and securing an outstanding dean for the School of Education, who will oversee implementation of the school’s recent restructuring process,” says Provost Ritter. “The committee has representation from across the school, including individuals in diverse roles and with unique experiences and perspectives, and I look forward to collaborating with this group to continue elevating the School of Education at ���ϲ����� and ensuring its continued success.”

The search advisory committee will oversee an interview schedule, stakeholder meetings and all-school presentations by candidates, with the committee convening now and continuing its work in the early part of the Spring 2023 semester.

Gretchen Ritter, vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, and Jamie Winders, associate provost for faculty affairs, discuss revamping the University’s Academic Strategic Plan and how it can set ���ϲ����� up for sustained success.

The ���ϲ����� campus community is embarking on an important five-year journey of self-discovery and self-improvement, to position itself as a leading global institution that attracts the best students and accomplished faculty who are respected thought leaders.

The goals are ambitious: creating an unsurpassed student experience that is guided and informed by extraordinary scholarship, research and discovery. The stakes are high: determining how ���ϲ����� can improve its academic excellence at every level while fostering a sense of welcome and belonging and ensuring the distinctive excellence, accessibility and collective success for all members of the campus community.

The impact of this revised ASP will be far-reaching. Besides setting the course for where the University is headed, the ASP will also be responsive to the cultural, economic, societal and governmental changes that impact the University and our world.

The ASP will set the course for the future of the University by addressing three key questions:

1. Where is the institution currently, what is ���ϲ����� really good at and in what areas could we improve to get even more proficient?
2. Where does the University want to go, and what values does it want to embody in the future?
3. How does the institution achieve that future state of academia, allowing students, faculty and staff to flourish and thrive on campus?

Check out episode 119 of the “’Cuse Conversations” podcast featuring Gretchen Ritter, vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, and Jamie Winders, associate provost for faculty affairs. A transcript [PDF]��is also available.

The ASP is guided by three core pillars, with working groups dedicated to each:

• Research and Creative Excellence
• Educational Excellence and Student Success
• Public Impact

Additionally, four working groups formed to shape the process of implementing our shared and cross-cutting values:

1. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA)
2. Global Engagement
3. Enrollment Strategy
4. Resource Sustainability and Budgeting

Recognizing the need to have all voices heard, the University’s students, faculty, staff and alumni are invited to . Between Wednesday, Oct. 12, and Nov. 1, there are also a , valuable opportunities for members of the campus community to get involved and give their feedback on the plan.

Wanting to both educate the campus community and drum up excitement for the far-reaching impact of the ASP, , and , stopped by the “’Cuse Conversations” podcast to discuss the thought process behind the Academic Strategic Plan, how an ASP can set ���ϲ����� up for sustained success, why members of the campus community should get involved in deciding the future of the University and how this ASP differs from other higher education institutions.

Note: This conversation was edited for brevity and clarity.

I am writing this afternoon to call your attention to the message you recently received from Mike Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation, and to provide a few additional thoughts on our ongoing efforts to manage COVID-19.

First, I want to highlight a few key points:

1. Active cases: The University is tracking 15 active cases among our faculty and staff, and 34 among our students as of today. These are students who have tested positive and submitted their test result to the Barnes Center at The Arch. If one of your students reports a positive test result, you will receive notification from the Office of Student Outreach and Retention (SOaR). Students who report positive results are eligible to receive an excused absence. I understand from many of you that you are receiving emails from students, some with photos of a positive test result. If this happens, I encourage you to remind your students that they are required to contact the Barnes Center. Notifying the Barnes Center of a positive test result is the only pathway for our students to receive an excused absence from class.
2. Boosters: The Bivalent booster is available. Some of you have shared with me that other universities are making the booster available. Please note, all states have been tasked with implementing their own booster distribution plans. While some states have included universities in their respective plans, New York State’s distribution efforts do not yet include universities. Instead, the state is prioritizing distributing the Bivalent booster to pharmacy networks. We encourage everyone who is eligible to sign up for a booster. Visit the or your preferred pharmacy to make an appointment. As a reminder, you are eligible to receive the booster if it has been at least two months since your previous booster dose, or two months since you completed your initial primary vaccine series.
3. Public Health Guidance: Our public health guidance continues to follow recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the New York State Department of Health and the Onondaga County Health Department. As the University has since COVID-19 was first detected in the United States, we will continue to adhere to all guidance as directed by public health authorities. This includes as it relates to testing, masking and isolation protocols.

Now, I’d like to provide reminders on a few important topics in the context of COVID-19.

Excused Absence Policy

As in past semesters, students who test positive for COVID-19 are required to isolate. You will receive an absence notification from the staff in SOaR for students who have to miss class for more than 48 hours. For privacy reasons, those notifications will not include a medical diagnosis. Your student may communicate with you directly before you receive the absence notification.

Faculty are required to provide students who are in isolation with the means to keep up with the rest of the class so that they can successfully resume their participation when their isolation period is over. You are free to decide how you do this in the manner most fitting for your classes. Many faculty choose to livestream or record their classes for students in isolation—though this is not required. Our students have indicated clearly that this is their preferred option and I encourage you to give it serious consideration. Nearly all of our teaching spaces are equipped for both streaming and recording classes. Please don’t hesitate to contact your school or college’s IT team if you need help setting this up.

Our immunocompromised students may have sought and secured accommodations through the (CDR). All faculty are obliged to follow the University’s policies and federal law related to serving students with disabilities. The Disability Faculty Portal, located in the Faculty Services field in MySlice, can be used to view accommodation letters for your students, upload exams and assignments, and provide feedback to CDR.

Testing Positive for COVID

As a reminder, if you test positive for COVID, you should notify your department chair and HR Shared Services by phone at 315.443.4042. If your school does not have departments, please notify your dean. If you are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms and you want to continue teaching your classes online, you may do so. Otherwise, you should work with your department chair or dean to arrange for alternate instruction.

Close Contact Exposure

Finally, the CDC continues to recommend that anyone in close contact to a COVID positive individual should wear a mask while in public for a period of five days following exposure. As our campus policy is aligned with CDC guidance, we ask that all members of our campus community adhere to this guidance. Faculty members should feel free to remind students of this policy in their classroom.

Let me close by extending my deep gratitude to our faculty and staff for their continued support of our students and our community. Because of you, we continue to provide the Orange experience our students expect and enjoy. At the same time, please know that I recognize that for many in our community, COVID remains a significant concern. We will continue to follow the guidance and directive of public health authorities, and provide updates to our community as there are changes to guidance or new developments. Let us continue to support each other as part of a caring community.

Many thanks to you all for your hard work, tenacity and commitment to ���ϲ�����. I hope your semester is successful and productive.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Ritter
Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer

It is with great sadness that I write this morning to share the news of the passing of a member of the Office of Academic Affairs team.

Megan Bruno was a faculty affairs specialist in Associate Provost Jamie Winders’ office. She was a key member of the team and worked tirelessly to support all phases of faculty hiring. Although she was only with our team since January, she made a big impact, both personally and professionally, on all who knew her. Megan was a warm, talented and selfless individual who was very much committed to her work, her colleagues and our terrific faculty. Megan leaves behind her beloved partner and her 3-month-old baby. I ask that you join Chancellor Syverud, Associate Provost Winders and me in keeping Megan, her family, friends and colleagues close to your heart as they grapple with this sudden and terrible loss. In the coming days, our team will determine a fitting way for us to honor Megan’s life and contributions.

It is because of Megan’s passing that we have made the difficult, but necessary decision to postpone tomorrow’s Academic Strategic Plan Launch Forum, which was scheduled for 9 a.m. in the K.G. Tan Auditorium in the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building. We will work to reschedule the launch forum for some time next week. You will receive a message in the coming days with the new day, time and location of next week’s launch forum.

I want to remind you of the many services available to our community in times like these. For students, confidential counseling is available at the Barnes Center at The Arch, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling 315.443.8000. Students seeking ongoing assistance may contact the support services and case management team in Student Outreach and Retention, Monday through Friday, at 315.443.4357. Faculty and staff may reach trained clinicians 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through Carebridge, the University’s Faculty and Staff Assistance Program. They can be reached at 800.437.0911. Hendricks Chapel remains available to provide additional support and services for all campus community members by calling 315.443.2901.

I appreciate your understanding and kindness during this challenging time.

Sincerely,
Provost Gretchen Ritter

The first: Come as you are.

“If you have not figured it out yet, you will pretty soon: there is no one way of thinking, no one way of dressing, no one person who is the ‘normal’ here. People are unique and amazing and dazzlingly different,” Chancellor Syverud said to the 4,000-plus new undergraduates and their families in the JMA Wireless Dome Thursday, Aug. 25.

“Given that there is no ‘normal’ here, why not try just being yourself? Not the image of perfection that appears on social media; not the identical replica of someone else, but just be you,” he said. “I believe you will find that if you come as you are here, you will become Orange.”

The second: Become more at ���ϲ�����.

Chancellor Kent Syverud addresses new students during Convocation Aug. 25. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)

“That’s the common thread in every speech you are hearing this week. You have a chance that has been denied to so many people in this world: a chance to be part of a great university,” Chancellor Syverud said. “What a waste, if you end up here without learning and doing and becoming more than you are now. So please, become more here, in your own unique and defining way.”

New students were officially welcomed to the University during New Student Convocation—an academic program with leadership and faculty progressing into the JMA Dome with full regalia—kicking off the academic year. A highlight of ���ϲ����� Welcome, it’s both the first time new students gather together as a class and a bookend to the next time they will all be together in the JMA Dome: Commencement.

Chancellor Syverud also shared his congratulations to the parents and families of those students who are now ���ϲ����� Orange.

“We know how much you have poured into these entering students, who are now adults. We know you want to continue to be there for them in different ways—ways that match the need for these adults to start off on their own in a great university,” Chancellor Syverud said. “We know the treasure you have entrusted to us, and so many of us take that responsibility very seriously.”

, encouraged the new class to boldly follow their creativity and remember a quote from philosopher and educator John Dewey: “Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination.”��

“Dewey believed—and I believe—that imagination is a vehicle for learning in all fields: from science and math, to politics and literature, to art and music,” Ritter said. “And audacity is the courage to stretch your thinking beyond the boundaries of current understanding.”

During New Student Convocation Aug. 25, Gretchen Ritter, vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, encouraged new students to boldly follow their creativity.

The determined charge of “Go Orange” empowers students with the freedom to be bold.

“It’s the rallying cry to explore the far reaches of your imagination—with audacity,” Ritter said. “We need your brave creativity to envision a world that provides economic opportunity to talented strivers of all backgrounds and abilities.”

Among other speakers, Allen Groves, senior vice president and chief student experience officer, and Marcelle Haddix, associate provost for strategic initiatives and Dean’s Professor of Literacy, Race and Justice, also shared remarks with students.

Before Convocation ended, students sang the alma mater, swaying arm in arm with their fellow students, ready for their academic career at ���ϲ����� to begin.

Provost Gretchen Ritter invites the campus community to the Academic Strategic Plan Launch Forum, where an overview of the strategic plan process, timeline, goals and ways to engage will be discussed.

Date:��Thursday, Sept. 1
Time:��9 a.m.
Location:��K.G. Tan Auditorium, National Veterans Resource Center��at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building

Brief remarks will be delivered by the provost and associate provost, followed by conversation and Q&A among participants.

Panelists will include:

• Gretchen Ritter, vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer
• Jamie Winders, associate provost for faculty affairs
• Marcelle Haddix, associate provost for strategic initiatives
• Steven Bennett, senior vice president for academic operations

Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART) and American Sign Language (ASL) translation will be provided.

Attendees can participate in person or��. For the Q&A, questions will be taken both virtually and in the room. Please reply to this email with any questions about the forum.

The Academic Affairs leadership team hopes to see you there!

As we look forward to the energy that comes with students returning to campus soon, I would like to recognize the important work so many individuals have accomplished this summer. I also want to give you a glimpse into the future of what lies ahead in the critical work of refreshing our Academic Strategic Plan.

You have certainly heard the Academic Strategic Plan described as a living document. It is a roadmap to a vision, with goals and milestones, but it is the “living” part that makes any strategic plan dynamic, timely and relevant. It requires deep reflection—especially from our faculty—to consider how today’s circumstances (and our notion of tomorrow’s needs) can affect the road map, strengthen the impact of our research and teaching, and ensure a truly collective commitment to a shared, well-defined vision.

Already we have engaged academic leaders from across campus and in every school and college in preparatory work as we embark upon a rigorous process of strategic planning throughout the fall. The Academic Strategic Planning Preparation Working Group, co-chaired by Jamie Winders and Steve Bennett, and representative of a cross-section of faculty and staff, prepared a robust handbook to guide us through the process. Input into the handbook was comprehensive—involving interviews and a look back to the Academic Strategic Plan: Trajectory to Excellence, which enabled great growth since implementation began in 2016, positioning us well for a successful refresh.

The working group considered the many changes—cultural, economic, societal and governmental—that have affected our university and our world since then. These include a pandemic that greatly impacted teaching, learning and technology; a sea change in political culture and discourse in the U.S. and around the world; and social justice and equity issues that have adjusted the way we think about inclusion and opportunity for all members of our community.

Building on this foundation, the success of the refreshed Academic Strategic Plan will be defined by whether it meets the following criteria:

• Broadly understood, relatively simple and widely agreed upon
• Distinctive to ���ϲ�����
• Aspirational but achievable
• A guide for decision-making at every level
• Coherent, in which the various parts work together
• Clearly measurable for success
• A living document, including a built-in process of review and adjustment

The refreshed Academic Strategic Plan will also incorporate deeply held shared values and guiding core principles and pillars that will shape the way we make decisions, identify and pursue our goals and objectives, and ensure we stay on course to attain our vision. These core pillars and values will define the next set of working groups, which will form this month, through nominations from deans and other academic leaders to include students, faculty, staff and administrators.

Three core pillar groups will focus on shaping vision and strategy:

• Research and Creative Excellence
• Educational Excellence and Student Success
• Public Impact

Intersecting the work in each of these pillar areas are four working groups. These four are formed around our shared and cross-cutting values to shape the process and implementation of the refreshed Academic Strategic Plan in these areas:

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA)
• Global Engagement
• Enrollment Strategy
• Resource Sustainability and Budgeting

These seven new working groups will meet regularly beginning in September and will continue their work until Thanksgiving. We will announce their membership shortly. These groups will work democratically and collaboratively, while continuing to seek input from various stakeholders. I expect the members of each working group will bring fresh, innovative and forward-thinking ideas to their respective areas. Meanwhile, in the schools and colleges, the deans are preparing their own working groups to engage in strategic planning.

Each working group will schedule a series of campus conversations to curate as much feedback as possible. I will also hold a launch forum on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 9 a.m. in K.G. Tan Auditorium in the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building to provide an overview on the process, timeline, goals and ways all can be engaged. The event will be simultaneously webcast, as well as recorded, so that all can participate. I encourage everyone on campus to be involved in helping to shape the next iteration of the Academic Strategic Plan. An invitation to the launch forum will be sent to the campus community next week.

Ultimately, we plan to have a draft of the refreshed Academic Strategic Plan in January 2023, then to post it publicly for review and comment. We intend to finalize and begin implementation of the Academic Strategic Plan later in the spring, well before the end of the academic year. It is critical that we achieve these deliverables. The colleges and schools can then use the draft as a guide to refresh and align their respective strategic plans by the end of 2023. Our goal is to give each college and school a framework for deciding what changes to make, what new initiatives to pursue, which existing efforts to phase out and how to thoughtfully allocate resources.

I am optimistic about the task ahead. I’m also confident in our campus community’s ability to collaborate, create and achieve new goals and, most importantly, to delineate the strategies we should pursue to get us to those goals. Along the way, we will surely redefine academic excellence as we currently understand it and enhance our vision for a University that is truly distinctive, accessible and welcoming to all.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Ritter
Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer

The committee works in an advisory capacity to the provost to promote the highest academic standards and ensure consistency across the promotion and tenure processes. Committee members are tenured full professors charged with providing the provost with a broad range of perspectives. They are expected to serve as Universitywide faculty representatives rather than as representatives of a specific discipline, department, school or college. Members of the committee serve staggered two-year terms and are not eligible to serve consecutive terms.

The advisory committee is chaired by Vice Chancellor and Provost Gretchen Ritter and includes Interim Vice President for Research Ramesh Raina and Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs Jamie L. Winders.

The new committee members are:

• , School of Architecture
• , psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
• , instructional development, design and evaluation, School of Education
• , School of Information Studies
• , College of Law
• , political science, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

���ϲ����� Vice Chancellor and Provost Gretchen Ritter today announced the members of the search committee for the University’s next vice president for research (VPR). The VPR reports directly to the provost and provides leadership for the University’s research enterprise, including support of scholarly and creative activity across the institution.

“Continuing to build research, scholarship and creative work is essential to enhancing academic excellence in a university that is welcoming and inclusive,” says Ritter. “I am pleased and grateful that the committee includes a cross section of campus stakeholders who understand the importance this role will have in shaping the future of research at ���ϲ�����. I am grateful to all of the committee members for participating in this search, which is so important for the University’s future trajectory.”

“I am grateful to Ramesh Raina, whose service as interim VPR began just as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. ���ϲ�����’s scholarly community has benefited from his leadership and advocacy,” says Ritter.

Ritter has charged the search committee with consulting key campus stakeholders regarding the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the next permanent vice president for research. After development of a position description, the position will be advertised widely to develop a strong pool of candidates. The University is partnering with Paul Chou of Korn Ferry’s global education practice on the search.

The committee, which is composed of faculty, staff, student representatives and members of the Board of Trustees, will be led by Duncan Brown, Charles Brightman Endowed Professor of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences. Members include:

• Nicholas Armstrong, managing director, Institute for Veterans and Military Families
• Kristen Barnes, professor, College of Law
• Michel Benaroch, professor, Whitman School of Management
• Yousr Dhaouadi, Ph.D. student, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Heidi Hehnly, associate professor, College of Arts and Sciences
• Sandra Lane, professor, Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
• Christine Larsen G’84, University Trustee
• Regina Luttrell, associate professor, Newhouse School of Public Communications
• Jennifer Karas Montez, professor, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Daekwon Park, associate professor, School of Architecture
• Dacheng Ren, professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Cole Smith, dean, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Stuart Taub, Office of Sponsored Programs

Ritter hopes to have the search completed and an individual named to the position by the end of the spring semester.

Guests will gain insight from Provost Gretchen Ritter as she discusses leadership, resiliency and change with moderator Dara Royer, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at the University.

Provost Gretchen Ritter

Ritter, a leading expert in the history of women’s constitutional rights and contemporary issues concerning democracy and citizenship in American politics, joined ���ϲ����� in October 2021 from The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences, where she was executive dean and vice provost. In that position, she led Ohio State’s largest college, which is home to 38 academic departments and schools and more than 20 centers and institutes.

Ritter previously served as the Harold Tanner Dean of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University from 2013-18 before returning to the faculty. Ritter was the college’s first female dean. Prior to her position at Cornell, she served as vice provost and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin. She has also taught at MIT, Princeton and Harvard.

Ritter is the recipient of several fellowships and awards, including a National Endowment for Humanities Fellowship, the Radcliffe Research Partnership Award and a Liberal Arts Fellowship at Harvard Law School. Ritter received a bachelor’s degree in government from Cornell and a doctorate in political science from MIT.

Candace Campbell-Jackson

The event is hosted by Candace Campbell Jackson, chair of the Women in Leadership Steering Committee and senior vice president and chief of staff to Chancellor Kent Syverud. An accomplished higher education executive, Jackson is recognized for being an exemplary strategic and operations leader with a strong record of achieving successful outcomes in all critical higher education management functions. In her role as chief of staff, Jackson works closely with the Chancellor and all members of the senior leadership team to advance the University’s key strategic priorities and operating goals. She co-chairs the ���ϲ����� Leadership Team with David Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School.

A graduate of Howard University with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism, Jackson received a J.D. from the University of Akron. To further develop her higher education administration skills, Jackson participated in the intensive, highly selective Harvard University Institute for Educational Management program. She also holds a certificate in executive leadership coaching from Georgetown University. Jackson has been a featured lecturer on the university circuit in the areas of higher education administration, leadership, sports law and administrative law.

Dara Royer

Dara Royer will moderate the discussion. Royer, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, is responsible for oversight of the University’s marketing efforts, including strategic marketing campaigns, digital and content marketing, and brand stewardship and has been recognized with an ICON Award in 2021 and 2022 as a Top 50 Marketer in the country. Royer received a certificate from Cornell University for executive women in leadership and an executive leadership certificate from Harvard Business School. She earned a bachelor of arts in history from Indiana University Bloomington and is currently pursuing an executive master of public administration from ���ϲ�����. Royer is a member of the Women in Leadership Steering Committee.

Those interested in attending this virtual event are asked to by Feb. 15. To request accommodations, contact Mallory Mitchell at womeninleadership@syr.edu.

To learn more about the Women in Leadership Initiative, .

Next Monday, Jan. 24, we begin the spring semester. This will be the fifth semester that we will be doing our work under the frustration and exhaustion that comes from enduring this seemingly never-ending pandemic. While I think we should all expect that our campus, our community and our country will have to navigate some challenging circumstances over the next few weeks, the good news is that we have learned a great deal about how to contend with these challenges over the last two years. It looks increasingly as though we may be transitioning from pandemic to endemic conditions, where COVID-19 is something that is more manageable because of vaccines and broader immunity, just as we live with the annual cycles of flu.

In framing the challenges that we will face in the next few weeks, it is important to appreciate that omicron acts differently than the delta or alpha variants did. Omicron is highly contagious, but it also appears to be significantly less severe and shorter in duration. Among those who are infected, the rates of hospitalization are lower, hospital stays are shorter and those requiring hospitalization are overwhelmingly unvaccinated individuals. Among the fully vaccinated, including a booster, when breakthrough infections do occur, they rarely produce severe health outcomes. This combination of high levels of transmission, lower severity and quicker progression also suggest that the current surge will crest and decline quickly.

So, what should instructors, researchers, staff and students expect over the next few weeks as we manage and mitigate the current surge? There will likely be students, staff and instructors who are required to isolate or quarantine, with accompanying absences. We should work to support those who feel able to continue working, teaching and learning while they are in isolation. Because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations and our requirements for isolation are shorter than in the past, accommodating our colleagues and students should not be as onerous as it has been up to now.

Schools and departments should have contingency plans for classes in case there are instructors who have to be away from campus for a few days. Please be supportive of your students if they tell you they cannot be in class because of isolation and illness–kindness, caring and flexibility (toward our students and each other) will be critical over these next few weeks. We are working to provide video recording capability in all our classrooms for the first few weeks of the semester as instructors work to assist students who are out of class. If the challenges you are facing feel too large for you to manage on your own–please make your chair or dean aware of your situation so we can see what can be done to help you. I have told all our deans that everyone in Academic Affairs is available to help find solutions to any unusual issues that might emerge as we navigate the beginning of the semester. (They have my cell phone number if they need me.)

While managing COVID feels consuming at the moment, I also want us all to look ahead as we work together to further elevate academic excellence at ���ϲ�����. In the next few weeks, we will be receiving feedback from our review of the cluster hiring initiative. With help from an external consultant, I am also working to better understand strengths, challenges and opportunities in our research operations. All of us in Academic Affairs, including with our two new members of the leadership team–Associate Provost Jamie Winders and Vice President Ryan Williams–look forward to collaborating with all of you in the months and years to come as we continue to raise our reputation and amplify our impact on the broader world.

As we celebrate the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth, I am reminded of the power of aspirational visionaries like King, who keep us focused on our values and purpose even in the face of daunting challenges and hardships. Understanding the amazing discoveries, innovations and advancements that can happen when we recognize and support the talents and ambitions of people from all backgrounds is, after all, core to mission as an institution of higher learning.

Best wishes,

Gretchen Ritter
Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer