Lisa Vollendorf

Lisa Vollendorf, Ph.D., is the sixth president of Empire State University, part of the State University of New York (SUNY). A nationally recognized higher education leader with more than 30 years of experience as an educator, scholar, and administrator, she is committed to expanding access to public higher education and creating opportunities for learners of all ages, backgrounds, and life circumstances.

Since joining Empire in July 2022, Vollendorf has led the institution through a period of significant growth and transformation. Building on the university’s leadership in affordable, flexible, high-quality online education, she has positioned Empire as one of New York’s fastest-growing public universities.

Under her leadership, Empire has achieved sustained double-digit enrollment growth, increasing total enrollment by 20% over four years. The university now serves more than 18,500 learners, ages 15 to 89, across all 50 states and in 50 countries.

Vollendorf guided the institution’s transition from college to university status in 2023 and led the development of Elevate ’28, a comprehensive strategic plan centered on student success. She has expanded partnerships with public unions, private employers, and government agencies to strengthen workforce pipelines, with partnership programs now accounting for nearly one-quarter of enrollment. Empire also has achieved its strongest fiscal position in years, enabling strategic reinvestment in initiatives that support retention and degree completion.

She has advanced the university’s commitment to serving learners who have historically faced barriers to higher education. Under her leadership, Empire expanded its Center for Autism Advocacy and became New York’s only autism-supportive institution of higher education. She also established a Veteran and Military Resource Center, reflecting Empire’s role serving more military-affiliated students than any other public university in the state.

A former Spanish professor, Vollendorf takes particular pride in launching SUNY’s first fully online Spanish-language degree program in Fall 2025, expanding educational opportunities for Spanish-speaking learners in New York and around the world.

Before joining Empire, Vollendorf served as interim provost at the University of Northern Colorado and spent 16 years in the California State University system, where she held leadership roles including department chair, academic senate chair, dean, and provost across three campuses.

An accomplished scholar, Vollendorf’s research focuses on the cultural history of women in Iberia and Latin America during the early modern period. She is the author of two monographs and has published six edited books and more than 35 chapters and articles.

Vollendorf earned a Ph.D. in Romance Languages from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in English and Spanish from Colorado State University.

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