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Gretchen Ritter — Syracuse University’s new vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer — does not have a phrase written on her bathroom mirror, but she’s thought about what it would be if she did.

“Educating talented young people to be thoughtful leaders, as we go forward, who are innovative and committed to making a public difference is how we make a huge difference in the world,” she said.

She calls it her mantra.

Ritter, a New York native, has worked in higher education in both private and public institutions, such as The University of Texas at Austin, Cornell University and The Ohio State University. At all three of her previous collegiate positions, she worked in executive roles such as dean and vice provost.

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“All of those roles and the rise of those institutions has prepared me to be provost at Syracuse, which is a great private university that has a public service spirit to it,” Ritter said.

Ritter said that the American higher education system is in an interesting position currently as the proportion of international students coming to the U.S. to receive an education has decreased because of the pandemic. She said that SU needs to be welcoming to talented students around the world.

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“We need to be thoughtful about how to adjust, how to recuperate that, how to make sure that we continue to be part of a commitment to educating our students about the importance of having a global perspective,” Ritter said. 

Kevin Leonardi, the senior director of marketing and communications at Ohio State’s College of Arts and Sciences, said that, as executive dean for Ohio State’s College of Arts and Sciences, Ritter doubled-down on her commitment to transparency at the onset of the pandemic. 

“Amidst great uncertainty, she held multiple town halls and other engagements to share updates and hear concerns from the college community,” Leonardi said in an email to The Daily Orange. “Her compassionate leadership was greatly appreciated by the college and boosted morale during the most challenging of circumstances.”

David Horn, who now holds Ritter’s former position as interim executive dean for Ohio State’s College of Arts and Sciences, also complimented her work over the pandemic. 

“She managed, even during a pandemic, to create new momentum for our college,” Horn said in an email to The D.O.

Trevon Logan, the associate dean of Ohio State’s College of Arts and Sciences, called Ritter’s decision making respectful and thoughtful of both students and faculty.

“Selfishly, (I) was disappointed to learn that I would be losing a great boss and that Ohio State would be losing a tremendous leader,” Horn said he thought when he first found out about Ritter’s departure.

But he also said he was thrilled for Ritter to have the opportunity to come to Syracuse. Leonardi said that SU students, faculty and staff are lucky to have Ritter on their campus.

“She is someone who cares deeply about students and their wellbeing, about the role of universities in building a just and more equitable future and about the importance of preparing students to be engaged citizens,” he said.

Ritter explained how SU’s work during the pandemic highlighted the university’s ability to achieve the public good. SU faculty, she said, were able to come together with local public health departments to address the crisis.

Ritter said that great universities will be at the forefront of solving large problems such as the pandemic, climate change and social polarization. For the vice chancellor, part of what makes a great university great is being welcoming as well as supporting its students.

She said that to do this, SU needs a diverse faculty. The two sides — having a diverse faculty as well as creating a welcoming environment for students — are related, Ritter said.

Ritter was officially welcomed to the SU community on Oct. 1. If students see her on campus, she says, her request is simple: say hello.

“I would love to learn from you to get a sense of what you see, what you’re experiencing here, your ideas about the world or about how we could do things better.”

Published on October 12, 2021 at 11:42 pm

Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard