Lois Agnew Appointed Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost

Chancellor Kent Syverud today announced the appointment of Lois Agnew to the position of interim vice chancellor and provost. Agnew, who has served as associate provost for academic programs since July 2023, will assume her new responsibilities effective July 1.

“Lois is an outstanding scholar, skilled administrator and trusted leader at Syracuse University,” says Chancellor Syverud. “In working with Lois, I have found her to be a source of wise counsel, sound judgement and strategic leadership. I am confident she will transition seamlessly into this new position and be an outstanding steward of the academic and research enterprise.”

Over the last year, Agnew has been instrumental in advancing several of the University’s strategic priorities, including through her work serving as a member of the Academic Strategic Plan Steering Committee and as chair of the Curricular Thematic Group. Under her leadership, the team in academic programs has accomplished the following:

• Worked with the Retention Council to develop recommendations to improve retention and graduation rates among high-risk student populations;
• Enacted measures to expand access for transfer students, including refining the process for transfer credit review and creating a new transfer agreement with Onondaga Community College;
• Supported the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising in a record year of success, including one Marshall Scholar, one Beinecke Scholar, five Goldwater Scholars and 17 Fulbright Scholars;
• Recruited and hired a new director for the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence;
• Took steps to prepare the University for the upcoming accreditation process; and
• Established structures to strengthen and streamline curricular review.

“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,” says Agnew. “Despite the headwinds facing higher education, Syracuse University has remained focused on advancing our academic mission and vision. 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.”

A member of the Syracuse University community since 2004 and professor of writing and rhetoric, Agnew has held several leadership roles throughout her tenure. Prior to her time as associate provost, Agnew served as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), Syracuse University’s largest academic unit. Prior to that, she was the college’s associate dean of curriculum, innovation and pedagogy, a role she was appointed to in July 2017. Other administrative positions held by Agnew include 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.

During Agnew’s time in the College of Arts and Sciences, she was a key player on the team developing proposed revisions to the liberal arts core; established a professional development program to build community among teaching faculty in A&S; coordinated the development of health humanities and digital humanities integrated learning majors; and organized A&S’s annual undergraduate research festival. Agnew has received multiple honors and awards, including the 2015 William Wasserstrom Prize for the Teaching of Graduate Students, the 2011 Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award and the 2007 Meredith Teaching Recognition Award.

Agnew’s research specializes in rhetorical history. She has published more than 25 journal articles, book chapters and three books. Before working at Syracuse University, Agnew was assistant professor of English at Rockford University (formerly Rockford College) in Illinois, where she served as chair of the Department of English and director of the Writing Center.

Agnew earned a Ph.D. in English from Texas Christian University and a B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington.