A traditional oli ceremony welcomed Vassilis L. Syrmos as the new chancellor of the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa. Members of the campus community chanted Welina Mānoa to greet and welcome him into the role.
Syrmos began his tenure as UH Mānoa chancellor after being unanimously approved by the UH Board of Regents on June 4 following a nationwide search. UH 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 UH System and the 10 campuses. It is an honor.”
As chancellor, Syrmos serves as chief executive officer of UH Mānoa, overseeing academic affairs, research, student success, enrollment and administrative operations for the university¡¯s flagship campus. He reports to the UH president and serves on the president¡¯s senior leadership team.
Syrmos emphasized UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹¡¯s role as a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning, underscoring the university¡¯s responsibility to ground research and education in Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s values and communities. His priorities include strengthening student success, supporting faculty and staff, and advancing UH 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 UH 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 UH 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 UH 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 UH News stories:
- Meet Vassilis L. Syrmos: A life shaped by innovation, mentors and a passion for UH Mānoa
- Leading UH Mānoa forward: Chancellor Vassilis L. Syrmos
- A New Chapter: Defining Our Future
Stay connected with Chancellor Syrmos by visiting and following him on , and .