John A. Papazoglou Named Chief Operations Officer

Chancellor Kent Syverud today announced the appointment of John A. Papazoglou to the position of chief operations officer (COO). In this role, Papazoglou will be responsible for multiple on- and off-campus operations, including dining, housing, hospitality and food services. Papazoglou comes to Syracuse from Pennsylvania State University and begins his tenure on Wednesday, Feb. 1. The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees will be asked to approve his appointment at its next meeting.

“John’s extensive experience in higher education combined with his deep understanding of hospitality and customer service will make him an immediate asset to Syracuse University,” says Chancellor Syverud. “As we continue to align our physical and operational infrastructure with our academic and student experience priorities, I am grateful to have someone of John’s caliber overseeing this important portfolio.”

Papazoglou has served as associate vice president of auxiliary and business services at Penn State since July 2017, responsible for multiple administrative units including  housing and food services, the Bryce Jordan Center (a multi-use facility for academic programs and entertainment and sports events), hospitality services, transportation services, multimedia and print center, campus mail and the University Park Airport.  He also served as the primary liaison for the Penn State Bookstore contract and the University’s pouring rights contract.

Prior to Penn State, Papazoglou spent more than two decades in the health care, restaurant and airline catering industries. He worked for Aramark Healthcare for 16 years, overseeing hospitality operations at eight hospitals in the largest nonprofit health care system in Texas, and was general manager of Richmond International Airport in Virginia earlier in his career.

“Throughout my career, as I’ve moved from hospitality to health care to academia, the goal has always been to raise the level of service excellence,” says Papazoglou. “I am excited to join Syracuse University, which has ambitious plans in place to sustain and create new, vibrant and welcoming experiences for students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus and off-campus activities and events.”

In his new role as COO, Papazoglou will oversee the non-academic units that interact most frequently with students and guests on campus, including housing, retail operations, catering and the commissary. He will provide oversight for such off-campus facilities as the Minnowbrook Conference Center, the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center and Drumlins Country Club. He will work closely with other senior-level officers and directors in the development of objectives, new programs, goals, forecasts, and plans and budgets, as well as long-term and short-term planning of the University’s strategic, capital and operational plans.

A New Jersey native, Papazoglou earned a bachelor of science degree in business and economics from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and a master of public administration from the University of Texas at Tyler.