Dr. Evangelos J. Gizis was an administrator at the City University of New York in various capacities, including at Queens College as the Vice President for College Affairs, Planning, and Information Systems (1986-1988) and as provost (2003-2009).
He served as interim president during the Spring 2014 semester.
“Evangelos J. Gizis has been appointed interim president of Queens College, effective January 1, 2014. He replaces James Muyskens, who recently retired after eleven-and-a-half years at the college.
Gizis left his homeland of Greece in 1960 for graduate school in the United States. After earning his MS and PhD in food science and biochemistry at Oregon State University, he launched a five-decade academic career that took him from the West Coast to the East Coast, from being a researcher in four top labs to senior-level administrative posts at four City University colleges.
President Gizis is no stranger to Queens College. He first came to QC in 1986 as vice president for college affairs, planning, and information systems. Two years later, he chaired the committee for the college’s first five-year plan.
Gizis left Queens College for five years (1996–2001) to go to Hunter College, where he held a number of posts, including interim president. He then returned to Queens as interim provost in 2001, becoming provost in 2003, a position he held until his retirement in 2009. Although retired, Gizis was still part of CUNY, working part-time as a senior advisor in the Central Office.
‘I feel honored to be appointed interim president of Queens College, and I accept this responsibility knowing the challenges the college will face this spring,’ Gizis noted recently. ‘And I applaud President Muyskens for enhancing the academic experience of our students, with the result that the college is now nationally recognized as a leader in quality education.’
Gizis said that in the coming semester he will be focused, among other things, on student-recruitment efforts, implementing the financial aid segment of the City University of New York Fully Integrated Resources and Services Tool (CUNYfirst) that processes student administration, human resources and finance matters, and developing new, high-demand academic programs, especially at the master’s level. It is expected that the CUNY Board of Trustees will appoint a new president before the fall 2014 semester.”