Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

College of Arts and Sciences Appoints First Operations Director

Thursday, October 4, 2018, By Rob Enslin
Share
College of Arts and Sciences

Matthew Kennedy to oversee planning, implementation of A&S’ strategic initiatives

Matthew Kennedy

Matthew Kennedy

The College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) continues to build administrative efficiency with the appointment of a director of operations and administration.

Matthew J. Kennedy has assumed the newly minted role, responsible for executing the college’s Academic Strategic Plan and increasing operational effectiveness. He reports to A&S Dean Ruhlandt and works closely with Budget and Finance Director Andrea Persin.

“Matthew brings extensive experience to A&S in managing the day-to-day functions of a successful liberal arts college,” says Ruhlandt, referring to Kennedy’s previous tenure at Bryn Athyn College, north of Philadelphia. “He understands the structures, procedures and policies needed to support the smooth running of many units. Matthew is a key member of our senior management team.”

Kennedy is excited to build on his experiences at Bryn Athyn, where he served in variety of progressing roles. He began in 2010 as director of athletics, charged with developing a growth plan that was part of the college’s strategic initiative. In late 2015, Kennedy became vice president for business development and athletics. Two years later, he moved away from his athletics-related duties to focus solely on Bryn Athyn’s daily operations as vice president of operations and business development.

The former psychology major says he takes a strategic approach to operational efficacy.

“Everything I do supports the A&S Academic Strategic Plan,” says Kennedy, who began his career as assistant athletic director of Neumann University, where he also earned a master’s degree in strategic leadership. “Only by enhancing our infrastructure can we promote academic, professional and personal growth. This, in turn, engenders pride in A&S and fosters a culture of success.”

In addition to overseeing the planning and implementation of the college’s strategic initiatives, Kennedy manages a variety of nonacademic programs, including ones benefitting student retention and the undergraduate experience.

“As the largest academic unit on campus, A&S accounts for more than a third of the University’s undergraduates. We provide services that support their transition to college, increase retention and decrease their time to graduate,” says Kennedy, who recently earned a certificate from Harvard University in management and leadership in higher education. “To do this, we must help faculty and staff deliver the best student experience possible.”

The excitement for growth at Bryn Athyn assisted Kennedy and the administration to raise more than $45 million for capital projects and growth initiatives during his eight years there.

Before that, Kennedy led Neumann’s $1.8 million athletic department through a rebranding process, as well as created the university’s first student-athlete monitoring program.

“Matthew knows how to identify, promote and implement strategies that improve institutional effectiveness,” Persin says. “I am excited to help him drive growth in revenue, while fulfilling our academic vision.

  • Author

Rob Enslin

  • Recent
  • Student’s Mobile Upcycled Clothing Business Turns Trash Into Treasures
    Friday, August 22, 2025, By Diane Stirling
  • Q&A for “Will Work for Food,” a new book exploring labor and the food chain
    Friday, August 22, 2025, By Ellen Mbuqe
  • Chaz Barracks Fuses Art, Scholarship and Community in Summer Residency
    Thursday, August 21, 2025, By News Staff
  • Welcome Week 2025: What You Need to Know
    Tuesday, August 19, 2025, By Kathleen Haley
  • How Otto the Orange Spent Their Summer Vacation (Video)
    Tuesday, August 19, 2025, By News Staff

More In Campus & Community

Heartfelt Gift Recognizes Accomplished Alumna and 3 Generations of Orange

William Pelton and Mary Jane Massie have created the Barringer Pelton Public Service Graduate Scholarship to honor their niece, Jody Barringer ’95, L’98, G’08 (M.P.A.), and support future public servants. After working for a few years as an attorney focused…

Families Offer Words of Wisdom During Welcome Week Move In (Video)

Nearly 4,300 new undergraduate students arrived on campus this week, many of them with families and cars filled to the brim. As families help their children settle into their home away from home, they’re also sharing advice for the year…

Chaz Barracks Fuses Art, Scholarship and Community in Summer Residency

With a GoPro strapped to his helmet and a microphone clipped to his bike, Chaz Antoine Barracks spent the summer pedaling through Homer, New York, transforming everyday encounters into both scholarship and art. The filmmaker, media scholar and postdoctoral fellow…

The New York State Fair: Everything You Need to Know

Late August in Central New York not only means the return of students to the Syracuse University campus, but also the return of the New York State Fair. The fair is a 13-day festival of entertainment, agricultural exhibitions, cultural performances…

Department of Public Safety Celebrates Graduation of 9th Peace Officer Academy

On Aug. 14, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) welcomed families, friends and colleagues of the 9th Peace Officer Academy recruits to a graduation event. The ceremony, held at Drumlins Country Club, was the perfect culmination of their accomplishments over…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.