Office of the President

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 over 30 years of experience as an educator, scholar, and administrator, she is deeply 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 longstanding leadership in affordable, flexible, and 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, with a 20% increase in total enrollment 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 that aligns the university's mission and institutional priorities around student success. She also has invested in partnerships with public unions, private employers, and government agencies to build and strengthen workforce pipelines. Partnerships now account for nearly one-quarter of Empire’s enrollment. The university has achieved its strongest fiscal position in years, enabling strategic reinvestment in initiatives that drive retention and degree completion.

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

Of particular pride to Vollendorf, a former Spanish professor, the university launched SUNY’s first Spanish-language online degree program in Fall 2025, expanding educational opportunity for Spanish-speaking learners in New York and around the world.

Prior to joining Empire, Vollendorf served as interim provost at the University of Northern Colorado. She also spent 16 years in the California State University system, where she served as a faculty member, department chair, academic senate chair, dean, and provost across three campuses. She has held faculty appointments at five public universities in Ohio, Michigan, and California.

An accomplished scholar, Vollendorf’s research focuses on the cultural history of women in Iberia and Latin America during the early modern period (1500-1700). Her research has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, the Newberry Library, the Huntington Library, and the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library. 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 at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in English and Spanish at Colorado State University. 

She and her husband live in Saratoga Springs, New York, where she serves on the boards of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and the Saratoga Springs City Center. She was recognized as a “Woman of Excellence” by the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce in 2025 and has twice been named to City & State's Higher Education Trailblazers list. She also serves as secretary on the governing board of the Presidents Forum.

Outside of work, Vollendorf is an avid hiker, backpacker, and traveler who is always looking forward to the next adventure.

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Contact the Office of the President

518-580-4709
president@sunyempire.edu