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Utica University
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President's Office

  1. Directory
  2. President's Office

What We Do

Office of the President of Utica University, Dr. Todd Pfannestiel

Phone
(315) 792-3222
Email
president@utica.edu
Department Type
Administrative
Office Location
200 DePerno Hall

Dr. Todd Pfannestiel

Tenth President of Utica University

Dr. Todd Pfannestiel is the tenth President of Utica University, taking office on August 1, 2023.

President Pfannestiel has 25 years of experience in higher education, as a faculty member, school dean, and senior administrator. Through the course of his tenure as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Utica, he has led and collaborated closely with faculty on a variety of initiatives to raise the academic profile of the University and further its mission. Chief among these achievements was the recently implemented redesign of the University’s general education curriculum, as well as the launch of a number of innovative academic programs designed to address emerging workforce and societal needs.

Dr. Todd Pfannestiel
President Todd Pfannestiel

Drawing on his own experience as a first-generation college student at the University of Arkansas, Dr. Pfannestiel possesses a deep and abiding appreciation for the transformative power of higher education. Under his leadership, the University has met a rapidly changing undergraduate market with its first A.S. and B.B.A. degree programs, providing a greater variety of career pathways for students of all backgrounds.

Prior to joining Utica University, Dr. Pfannestiel served on the faculty of Clarion University of Pennsylvania for 20 years, earning the rank of Professor of History. During his time at Clarion, he also served as Dean of the College of Arts, Education, and Sciences, Interim Provost, and Acting President.

Dr. Pfannestiel earned his Ph.D. in History from the College of William and Mary, where he was a Woodrow Wilson Foundation Fellow in the Humanities; completed post-graduate studies at Duke University as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow in Economics, and completed his B.A. in History and Economics at the University of Arkansas as a Fulbright College Scholar summa cum laude.

A native of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, he is married to Dr. Aimee Zellers, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Carlow University.

President's Inaugural

 

Dr. Winton Tolles
Dean of Utica University
1946 - 1947

Ralph F. Strebel
Dean of Utica University
1947 - 1959

Dr. James W. Harrison
Dean of Utica University
1959 – 1962

Dr. J. Kenneth Donahue
President of Utica University
1963-1970

Ambrose J. deFlumere
President of Utica University
1970 – 1976

Dr. Harold J. Rankin
Acting President of Utica University
1976 – 1977

Dr. Thomas D. Sheldon
President of Utica University
1977 – 1982

Dr. Lansing G. Baker
President of Utica University
1982 - 1987

Dr. Michael Simpson
President of Utica University
1988 – 1997

Dr. Thomas G. Brown
Interim President of Utica University 
January - July 1998

Dr. Todd S. Hutton
President Emeritus of Utica University
1998 - 2016

Dr. Laura M. Casamento
President of Utica University
2016 - 2023

Dr. Todd Pfannestiel
President of Utica University
2023 - Present

President's Cabinet Members

President Todd Pfannestiel
Todd J. Pfannestiel, Ph.D.
  • President
Kelly Adams stands on campus of Utica College.
Kelly L. Adams, M.S.
  • VP Pres.Affairs/ Mkt & Comm
Anthony Baird
Anthony M. Baird, Ed.D.
  • VP DEI/Student Transition/CDO
Ann Damiano
Ann E. Damiano, D.Litt.
  • Senior Associate Provost
Kristin Haag stands in front of water.
Kristin F. Haag, M.B.A.
  • VP Financial Affairs
Provost Stephanie Nesbitt, in orange blazer, smiles in front of DePerno Hall on the Utica campus.
Stephanie R. Nesbitt, J.D.
  • Provost, SVP Academic Affairs
Michael Roberts stands on campus, smiling at camera.
Michael J. Roberts, M.B.A.
  • Vice President for IITS
Polly Smith smiles at camera on campus at Utica College.
Polly J. Smith, Ph.D.
  • SVP for Market Innovation and New Ventures/ Senior Associate Provost for OES
W. Eric Sykes
Eric E Sykes, M.S.
  • VP for Enrollment Management

President's Office Staff

Kelly Adams stands on campus of Utica College.
Kelly L. Adams, M.S.
  • VP Pres.Affairs/ Mkt & Comm
Anthony M. Villanti, B.S.
  • Special Asst. to the President

About Utica University

More Resources

  • On Diversity and Free Expression
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