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Syracuse University College of Arts and Science Dean Karin Ruhlandt will step down from her position at the end of June, Provost Gretchen Ritter wrote in an email to Arts and Sciences students, staff and faculty.

Lois Agnew — the current Arts and Sciences associate dean of curriculum, innovation and pedagogy — will serve as the interim dean beginning July 1.

Ritter wrote in the email that she will confer with students, faculty and staff from Arts and Sciences as well as other constituencies as the university prepares to launch a national search for Ruhlandt’s permanent replacement.

According to a university press release, Ruhlandt will return to SU’s chemistry faculty following a research leave.

Ruhlandt became an assistant professor of chemistry at SU in 1991. In 2009 she was appointed to chair the Department of Chemistry. In the same year, she was also named a distinguished professor, the first woman to receive the honor in the sciences at SU, according to the university. In July 2014, Ruhlandt was named the interim dean of the school, and in January 2015, Ruhlandt was officially installed as the school’s dean, according to the release.

“Karin has demonstrated outstanding leadership in advancing the critical role the liberal arts and interdisciplinary studies play at Syracuse University,” Chancellor Kent Syverud said in the press release. “She has been a tenacious and dedicated advocate on behalf of her students, faculty and staff and has put the college on a tremendous growth trajectory.”

Agnew joined SU in 2004 as a professor of writing and rhetoric. In 2017, she was named an associate dean of Arts and Sciences. Previously, Agnew has chaired the Writing, Rhetoric and Composition Department.

In the press release, Ritter said she was grateful to Agnew for her willingness to serve as Arts and Sciences’ interim dean.

“Lois is a gifted scholar, teacher and leader and her stewardship in this transition is both admirable and much appreciated,” Ritter said.

Published on May 16, 2022 at 2:02 pm

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