Dr. Lisa Vollendorf is the sixth president of Empire State University, part of the State University of New York (SUNY). With 30 years of experience as an educator, scholar, and university leader, she is deeply committed to expanding access to public higher education for learners of all ages and backgrounds.
Vollendorf joined SUNY Empire in July 2022. She quickly established the university as one of the state’s fastest-growing public institutions by embracing its longstanding leadership in high-quality online education.
Double-digit enrollment growth in recent years bears out this success with SUNY Empire seeing record enrollment in Fall 2024, reversing pre-pandemic declines and defying national trends. SUNY Empire now serves 17,000 learners, ages 15-88, in over 125 affordable and flexible academic programs.
Vollendorf oversaw the institution’s transition from a college to university in 2023 and initiated a university-wide effort to align its strategic priorities and mission under a unified strategic plan, Elevate ‘28. She also led the creation of new workforce-driven programs and expanded partnerships with unions, corporations, and state agencies to help them recruit, retain, and upskill their workforces.
Vollendorf formed Cabinet-level roles for new offices in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as well as Information Technology. She reduced the university’s footprint as nearly all instruction moved online. She has led SUNY Empire into its strongest fiscal position in years, enabling the university to invest more into its core mission of student success.
Under Vollendorf’s leadership, SUNY Empire established a Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports and was designated as the only autism supportive institution of higher education in New York. She led the formation of a dedicated Veteran and Military Resource Center, with SUNY Empire serving more military-affiliated students than any other public institution in the state.
Of particular pride to Vollendorf, a former Spanish professor, the university launched SUNY’s first Spanish-language online degree program to meet the educational needs of Spanish-speaking learners around the world.
Prior to SUNY Empire, Vollendorf served as interim provost at the University of Northern Colorado. She worked for 16 years in the California State University (CSU) system as a faculty member, department chair, academic senate chair, dean, and provost at three different CSU campuses.
She has held faculty appointments at six public universities in Ohio, Michigan, California, and Colorado. Among her academic leadership highlights, Vollendorf served as dean of humanities and the arts at San José State University. She was the provost and executive vice president at Sonoma State University before joining the CSU Office of the Chancellor in July 2020.
Vollendorf’s research focuses on the cultural history of women in Iberia and Latin America during the early modern period (1500-1700). An established scholar with grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, the Newberry Library, the Huntington Library, and the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, she has published two monographs, six edited books, and 35 chapters and articles.
She earned a B.A. in English and Spanish at Colorado State University. After studying abroad in Costa Rica, she pursued a Ph.D. in Romance Languages at the University of Pennsylvania.
Vollendorf and her husband live in Saratoga Springs, NY. She is an active member of the community, where she serves on the boards of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. She is an avid hiker, backpacker, and traveler who is always looking forward to the next adventure.
