By Grant Heston

Following four successful years of leadership and service to Virginia Commonwealth University, Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, will leave on May 31 to join Penn State University as its executive vice president and provost.

His appointment at Penn State marks a full-circle moment in a remarkable career. Sotiropoulos first arrived in the U.S. from Greece as an international student at Penn State — a formative experience that launched a distinguished path in higher education leadership, research and academic innovation.

“Provost Sotiropoulos has ably led us through important academic challenges with energy and purpose,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “Four years is a solid  tenure for a provost, and Provost Sotiropoulos has used it to help move VCU forward.

“He led VCU’s academic transformation, collaborating with our faculty to update curriculum and to create new pathways to experiential learning that will help VCU students acquire knowledge and develop skills they need for their professional jobs or other post-graduation plans. We offer Fotis our heartfelt congratulations and gratitude.”

Since joining VCU in 2021, Sotiropoulos has led efforts to strengthen academic excellence and student success across the university and collaborated with faculty to develop new curricular offerings to future-proof student careers in the era of artificial intelligence. He has advanced initiatives that promote interdisciplinary collaboration, student success and a modern, dynamic academic experience that prepares learners for the challenges of the future.

“I am deeply grateful to President Rao for giving me the opportunity to be part of this extraordinary university community,” Sotiropoulos said. “It has been an honor to work alongside him and the incredible students, faculty and staff of VCU — people whose creativity, passion and dedication are shaping the future of higher education.

“Together, we launched bold initiatives that are already bearing fruit: the new AI curriculum for all our students, the creation of the Academy of Interdisciplinary Innovation, the Every Ram’s a Researcher initiative, the launch of the VCU Convergence Labs and the establishment of the new School of Life Sciences and Sustainability. These are not just programs — they are the blueprint for a future-ready institution.

“I’m especially proud that these ideas came from VCU’s faculty, a testament to the innovative spirit that defines this university. I leave with great confidence in VCU’s trajectory — on a path of growth, fiscal sustainability and institutional resilience — ready to meet the evolving needs of students and society in a rapidly changing world. VCU will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Before coming to VCU, Sotiropoulos served as dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Stony Brook University, where he also served as interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Previously, he held faculty and leadership roles at the University of Minnesota, including as director of the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, an internationally renowned research center for fluid mechanics and environmental engineering.

In 2023, he was awarded the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Fluids Engineering Award, one of the highest honors in the field, recognizing his lifetime contributions to fluid mechanics research and leadership.

VCU will name an interim provost in the coming weeks and announce details about the national search for the university’s next provost.