Gretchen Ritter has been named the University of Minnesota’s new executive vice president and provost. Pending Board of Regents approval on June 12, Ritter’s appointment will begin July 31, 2025.
“Dr. Ritter brings an impressive set of credentials that combine a strong academic and research background with a history of administrative leadership,” said University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham. “She has a demonstrated commitment to working with faculty and shared governance. I look forward to working with her as the University again transforms to achieve our mission to serve our students, faculty, staff and the state.”
Ritter said she is excited to join the University of Minnesota as it seeks to deepen its commitment to research, teaching and service to advance its land-grant mission and impact across Minnesota and beyond.
"The University of Minnesota is an impressive place. During my recent visit to the Twin Cities campus, I took a stroll down the Scholars Walk and was taken by the amazing legacy of academic excellence on display there. This University has had a transformative impact not only on its students and alumni, but also on the state, the nation and the world. I look forward to working with students, faculty, and staff across all five campuses on continuing and elevating that tradition of excellence. I am also pleased to be returning to a state where I have family and friends. And I am thrilled to be joining President Rebecca Cunningham’s leadership team."
As executive vice president and provost, Ritter will serve as the University’s chief academic officer across the system, with a focus on the Twin Cities campus. She was chosen through a highly competitive nationwide search, and was vetted by stakeholder groups from across the University community, including faculty governance leaders, among others.
Currently the vice president for civic engagement and education at Syracuse University, immediately prior to that she served there as the vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer.
Earlier in her career, Ritter was the executive dean and vice provost of the College of Arts & Sciences at The Ohio State University, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University, and the vice provost of undergraduate education and faculty governance at the University of Texas at Austin.
She received a doctorate in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a bachelor of arts from Cornell University. Her scholarly work is wide-ranging and includes works on the Constitution, democracy in America, and women’s citizenship, among others.
Ritter will be responsible for the approval of faculty promotion and tenure, as well as academic programs across the university system and operations, planning, and continued support and growth of the Twin Cities campus. She will guide the implementation of the systemwide strategic plan on the Twin Cities campus to advance the academic and research trajectories through shared faculty governance and leverage a highly collaborative and inclusive culture to promote the recruitment and retention of faculty, students, and staff.
As part of her role, Ritter will also serve as a member of President Cunningham’s cabinet and executive team.
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