Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer today announced the appointment of as the inaugural Provost’s Innovation Fellow at ������.

In this role, Horn will develop a Universitywide academic-industry strategy and support faculty in creating industry partnerships that provide experiential learning opportunities and professional connections for students. He will also work to develop new revenue streams through academic-industry initiatives and regularly assess their progress and success.

“I am excited to welcome Professor Horn into this role and know he is the perfect person to lead this important initiative,” Agnew says. “He has already demonstrated an exceptional ability to build meaningful bridges between academic and industry partners, creating opportunities that benefit our students and bolster experiential inquiry. I can think of no one better positioned to shape this strategy from the ground up and ensure that Syracuse remains at the forefront of academic-industry collaboration.”

The two-year appointment begins Aug.��15, 2026,��and runs through June 15, 2028. Horn will report to Agnew and work closely with the academic affairs leadership team, the Division of Communications, deans and associate deans and faculty and career advisors across campus.

Horn has served as associate dean of strategic initiatives for the since July 2022, and as a professor of practice in public relations since August 2018. Over the last four years, Horn has led the development of numerous academic-industry partnerships for the Newhouse School, ranging from executive education immersion programs for corporations—including Delta Air Lines and Lockheed Martin—to creating collaborative student-focused partnerships with Sony, Spectrum News, CBS News and Stations, Advance Local and American Airlines.

As a professor of practice, Horn has forged partnerships with several global sport organizations and communications firms, resulting in student-supported industry research and international projects. Each June, Horn leads a short-term study abroad course to Switzerland to foster hands-on, experiential learning for students with global organizations.

“Connecting students with innovative industry experiences has been the uniting passion of my work since joining the Newhouse faculty in 2018,” Horn says. “I’m thankful to Provost Agnew for this high honor of serving as the inaugural Provost’s Innovation Fellow, as I’m thrilled to expand on the work we’ve built at Newhouse, thanks to Dean Mark Lodato and his vision. I’m particularly looking forward to developing new relationships across the University to help unlock the potential for unique, meaningful and distinctive experiences for students across industries.”

Prior to joining the Newhouse faculty, Horn spent more than 20 years in communications leadership roles in Major League Baseball and Olympic sport, most notably serving as vice president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and as head of communications for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Horn earned a master’s degree in communications management from the Newhouse School.

Six faculty members have been elected to serve on the��.

Committee members advise the vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer and work to ensure consistent promotion and tenure processes and promote high academic standards. They serve two-year, staggered terms and are not eligible to serve consecutive terms.

Newly elected committee members are:

• , Katchmar-Wilhelm Professor, School of Information Studies
• , professor, School of Architecture
• , professor, College of Law
• , professor and director of biochemistry, College of Arts and Sciences
• , professor of higher education, School of Education
• , professor and chair of geography and the environment, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

Promotion and tenure cases that meet the criteria for review—for example, those that have substantial disagreement between layers of recommendation or a strong probability of a negative determination—are taken up by committee members. They offer an advisory vote to the provost but do not issue a formal report or consider appeals.

The committee is convened by Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Jamie Winders. Provost Lois Agnew is chair of the committee, and Vice President for Research Duncan Brown serves in an ex-officio capacity.

Six faculty members have been elected to serve on the . Elections were held in Fall 2024.

Serving as Universitywide faculty representatives, committee members advise the Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer and work to ensure consistent promotion and tenure processes and promote high academic standards. Members, who must be tenured full professors, serve two-year, staggered terms and are not eligible to serve consecutive terms.

Newly elected committee members are:

• , William Safire Professor of Modern Letters and University Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
• , director, electrical engineering and computer science graduate program, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• , Marjorie Cantor Professor of Aging Studies, Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
• , associate dean for academic affairs, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
• , Albert & Betty Hill Endowed Professor, Martin J. Whitman School of Management
• , Iris Magidson Endowed Professor of Design Leadership and director, School of Design, College of Visual and Performing Arts

Promotion and tenure cases that meet the criteria for review—for example, those that have substantial disagreement between layers of recommendation or a strong probability of a negative determination—are taken up by committee members. They offer an advisory vote to the provost but do not issue a formal report or consider appeals.

The committee is convened by Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Jamie Winders. Provost Lois Agnew is chair of the committee, and Vice President for Research Duncan Brown serves in an ex-officio capacity.

Balloting to select faculty representatives for the begins Wednesday, Oct. 16, and runs through Friday, Nov. 1.

Elections are held annually and are administered by the University Senate and the . Results are tabulated by the .

The committee has six this year. The positions are open to tenured full professors. Members serve two-year terms.

The committee was formed in spring 2014 to ensure that promotion and tenure processes are consistent. It also exists to ensure that the standards and procedures in the schools and colleges leading through approval by the vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, and to concurrence by the chancellor and Board of Trustees, are implemented similarly across campus.

Convened by the associate provost for faculty affairs, the committee’s membership includes the vice president for research (or another full professor designated by the provost) plus 12 faculty representatives from each of the schools and colleges.�� Committee members are charged with reviewing candidate cases and reading promotion and tenure files that the designates as containing substantive disagreements between layers of recommendation and that have a strong possibility of negative determination.��Committee members then counsel the provost and offer advisory votes but do not issue a formal report or consider appeals.

Committee member , Edward Pettinella Professor of Finance in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, encourages participation in balloting as well as faculty service on the committee. “Promotion and tenure decisions are among the most consequential decisions made by the University,” he says. “The provost and the associate provost engage deeply with the committee. Because committee members review the entirety of a case, faculty voices are part of the deliberations close to the final decision-making. Serving on the committee comes with the additional benefit of learning about many initiatives designed to support early-career faculty at the University.”

, senior associate dean for research and�� administration��and professor of public health in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, says her committee service has been gratifying.

“Serving on this committee is one of the most important things I have done at ������. Junctures when faculty are evaluated are among the more vulnerable times in our careers. Committee members carefully consider each dossier in its entirety, searching critically for evidence of accomplishments and the contexts that influenced them, then providing informed perspectives to the provost for consideration. I remain amazed at how much I have enjoyed being a part of this work,” she says.

All tenured and tenure-track faculty members are eligible to vote for representatives from their school or college. Eligible voters will receive ballot information via email from the University Senate on the first day of balloting.

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 ������ 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, ������ 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 ������’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 ������ 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 ������ 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.

Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs Jamie Winders today announced members of the 2023-24 . The University-level group was established to provide Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Gretchen Ritter with guidance on full-time faculty salary appeals.

Members are:

• , professor of accounting, Whitman J. Whitman School of Management
• , professor and associate chair of psychology, College of Arts and Sciences (A&S)
• , professor of practice, Whitman School
• , professor of public affairs and international affairs, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• , professor of magazine, news and digital journalism, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
• , associate professor of women’s and gender studies and director of undergraduate studies, A&S
• , professor of electrical engineering and computer science, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• , associate teaching professor of writing studies, rhetoric and composition and director of undergraduate studies, A&S
• , associate teaching professor of public relations and graduate program director, Newhouse School
• , professor of public health, David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
• , associate professor of architecture, School of Architecture
• , teaching professor of nutrition and graduate director, Falk College
• , professor of art education and teaching and leadership, College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and School of Education
• , professor of anthropology, Maxwell School
• , associate teaching professor and executive director of the Center for Online and Digital Learning, College of Professional Studies
• , associate professor of acting, VPA

“The PFSAC is tasked with providing key feedback and advice on faculty salary appeals and plays an important role in our efforts around salary transparency and equity,” Winders says. Members are jointly selected by Winders and the chair of the University Senate from a pool of nominees brought forward by deans and the senate agenda committee.

A for full-time faculty members seeking to appeal their current salary was recently established by the Office of Academic Affairs.

For each salary appeal, Winders will convene a subcommittee of nine PFSAC members based on disciplinary closeness with the faculty member whose case is under review. The subcommittee will not include faculty members who have had a prior role in a particular faculty salary appeals case or who come from the faculty member’s home department or unit.

The deadline for submitting faculty salary appeals for consideration by the PFSAC in this academic year is Friday, March 1. Appeals must first have been reviewed by the dean of the faculty member’s school or college.

is available online or by contacting the Office of Faculty Affairs at facultyaffairs@syr.edu.

Implementation of “,” ������’s academic strategic plan, is now underway. As with the creation of the plan last year, the implementation process is supported by individuals from all areas of the University community.

Under the direction of Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Gretchen Ritter, a has been convened to guide the implementation process and ensure accountability in addressing major institutional commitments outlined in the plan. Provost Ritter is the chair of the committee.

In addition, five have been formed to focus on key aspects of the plan: curricular; diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; research transformation and STEM expansion; enrollment innovation; and veterans. Each thematic group is led by a chair and a lead or co-leads, who also serve on the steering committee.

The steering committee and thematic groups are inclusive of faculty, staff, students and administrators.

“‘Leading With Distinction’ reflects deep engagement from our University community. I am grateful to the individuals who are serving on the steering committee and thematic groups for their continued commitment to the plan and its successful implementation,” Provost Ritter says.

Members of the steering committee and thematic groups are listed on the . The site also includes the full text of “Leading With Distinction,” and will be updated throughout the implementation process.

The electronic balloting process for ������ faculty to select candidates to serve on the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Promotion and Tenure began on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Ballots will be distributed to all eligible voters. This includes tenured and tenure-track faculty members in six of the 12 electorates that are represented on the committee.

“The selection of members to serve on the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Promotion and Tenure is essential to the University’s efforts to assure fairness and consistency across the promotion and tenure process. It also assists in assuring adherence to the highest academic standards of excellence and in providing a superb educational experience for our students,” says Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer . “I encourage all eligible faculty to take part in the election process to help the University in its efforts on both of these forefront goals.”

The committee is composed of tenured professors drawn from 12 electorates aligned with the faculties of 10 of 11 schools and colleges plus two electorates from the College of Arts and Sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences has separate electorates for faculty in the sciences and in the humanities. The College of Professional Studies is not represented on the committee.

The online balloting identifies potential committee members from each of the electorates having open seats. Only tenured full professors are eligible to serve on the committee. Once balloting closes, a slate of three candidates from each electorate is forwarded to the provost for final committee selection. Committee members serve staggered two-year terms and are not eligible to serve two terms consecutively. Additional information about the committee, its composition and its operations can be found in the ��on the provost’s website.

Nominations are to be returned electronically. Balloting closes Feb. 1. Representatives from the Appointment and Promotions Committee of the University Senate will then identify the faculty endorsed by their colleagues who are willing to serve and then forward the list to Ritter, who will invite individuals to serve. The committee will be fully seated by March 1.

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

As Central New York begins to experience winter weather, we are writing to you today to provide you important information regarding how the University navigates and communicates about extreme weather conditions. We ask that you please review the enclosed information carefully.

In general, ������ will remain open for business. However, we will always prioritize the safety and well-being of our community members when determining operating status. The University works with an independent weather service, Precision Weather Service, to inform our decisions about weather delays, closings or other operational changes. Input is also provided by Academic Affairs; Campus Facilities; Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services; and the Student Experience.

In the event of extreme weather and if a change in the University’s operating status becomes necessary, it will be announced via the University’s emergency broadcast notification system and will carry the notice SU WEATHER ALERT. To ensure you receive these messages, please confirm your Orange Alert settings are up to date in MySlice.

SU WEATHER ALERT information will be announced via the following communications channels:

• via Orange Safe;
• via campus email;
• via text message;
• via a “crawl” on campus TV monitors and University websites;
• on Twitter: , and ;
• on Facebook: , and ;
• on and ; and
• via ������ public radio station and other local media outlets.

Only ������’s Division of Communications is authorized to transmit to the campus community and the news media announcements about closings, work-schedule changes or class-start delays.

Although ������ rarely closes for inclement weather, individuals must make personal decisions based on a risk assessment related to travel. We encourage all employees to take precautions and use good judgment when traveling to/from work. Faculty and staff concerned about travel conditions should contact their department chair or supervisor, respectively.

For information on winter weather preparedness, visit the .

Sincerely,

Gretchen Ritter
Vice Chancellor and Provost

Chief Craig A. Stone
Department of Public Safety

The ������ 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 ������ 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 ������ 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 ������ 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.