Interim provost recommended for UH Manoa chancellor position

News admin May 29, 2026 0 Comments

Interim provost recommended for UH Manoa chancellor position

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel is recommending Vassilis Syrmos to serve as the next chancellor of UH Mānoa.

His appointment will go before the UH Board of Regents for final approval on Thursday, June 4.

If approved, he will begin serving as chancellor on July 1.

Syrmos has served as interim provost of UH Mānoa since July 2025 and has been a faculty member at Mānoa College of Engineering for 35 years. He also served for 12 years as UH vice president for research and innovation and eight years as associate vice chancellor of research, the university said.

Hensel said Syrmos “has done an exceptional job as interim provost,” and “brings a deep understanding of Manoa’s budget, operations and role within the broader UH System, as well as strong relationships with the state and congressional levels.”

The university said that Syrmos helped secure legislative support to sustain the UH Cancer Center’s research and strengthen its National Center Institute, and also advanced efforts to improve UH Mānoa’s financial transparency, modernize budgeting, and strengthen student success initiatives.

Syrmos was selected after a nationwide search that produced a finalist pool that attracted 32 applications and nine nominations or inquiries.

“I am deeply honored to be recommended as the next chancellor of UH Mānoa,” Syrmos said. “Having served the university for more than three decades, I consider Hawaiʻi and this campus my home. I look forward to working with President Hensel in strengthening student success, advancing research and innovation and working closely with our faculty, students, staff and community partners as we continue to move UH Mānoa forward as Hawaiʻi’s flagship university.”