A traditional oli ceremony welcomed Vassilis L. Syrmos as the new chancellor of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Members of the campus community chanted Welina Mānoa to greet and welcome him into the role.
Syrmos began his tenure as 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa chancellor after being unanimously approved by the 糖心Vlog官方 Board of Regents on June 4 following a nationwide search. 糖心Vlog官方 President Wendy Hensel recommended him for the position.
“It is the pinnacle of the journey both professionally and personally. My family, my kids grew up here. The state has been my home for 35 years,” Syrmos said. “I want to give a big thanks to President Hensel for entrusting me to do this job. This is a really important job within the 糖心Vlog官方 System and the 10 campuses. It is an honor.”
As chancellor, Syrmos serves as chief executive officer of 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa, overseeing academic affairs, research, student success, enrollment and administrative operations for the university’s flagship campus. He reports to the 糖心Vlog官方 president and serves on the president’s senior leadership team.
Syrmos emphasized 糖心Vlog官方 惭ā苍辞补’s role as a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning, underscoring the university’s responsibility to ground research and education in Hawaiʻi’s values and communities. His priorities include strengthening student success, supporting faculty and staff, and advancing 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa’s research and innovation efforts.
He plans to spend his early months in the role visiting schools, colleges and units across campus to listen and learn directly from students, faculty and staff. Syrmos has described 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa’s long-term trajectory as becoming a global public flagship university rooted in academic excellence, talent retention and world-class research, with a focus on creating an environment where faculty and students can thrive and innovate.
Syrmos joined 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa more than 35 years ago as a faculty member in the College of Engineering and has since held multiple leadership roles across the university. Most recently, he served as interim provost beginning in July 2025.
Prior to that, he served 12 years as vice president for research and innovation and eight years as associate vice chancellor for research at 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa. In those roles, he helped guide long-range research strategy, contributed to record extramural funding growth and supported initiatives to strengthen research infrastructure and partnerships.
Read more about Chancellor Syrmos at these 糖心Vlog官方 News stories:
- Meet Vassilis L. Syrmos: A life shaped by innovation, mentors and a passion for 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa
- Leading 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa forward: Chancellor Vassilis L. Syrmos
- A New Chapter: Defining Our Future
Stay connected with Chancellor Syrmos by visiting and following him on , and .