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About the Provost

Peggy Agouris

Peggy Agouris became William & Mary's sixth provost on July 1, 2019. As the university's chief academic officer, Peggy is responsible for all academic and research programs, academic budgets, institutional planning, space allocation and faculty development.

Leadership Strategy

As the chief academic officer, Provost Agouris establishes strategic direction and pursues progress for William & Mary in the following areas:

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Cultivate a Relevant, Vibrant Curriculum Conscious of the changing needs of society, the job market and our students, the provost is committed to ensuring that William & Mary’s curriculum reflects and addresses the greatest needs of the day and continues to attract and retain excellent students and faculty now and into the future. By supporting the collaborative work of our students, faculty, and staff across the curriculum, she strives to empower William & Mary to excel in shaping and contributing to our ever-evolving workforce and world.

Strengthen Research, Scholarship & Education Attentive to the university’s R2 Carnegie Classification as a doctoral university with high research activity, the provost encourages the pursuit of cutting-edge basic and applied research and scholarship by William & Mary's faculty and students. Achievement in research and scholarship will leverage and enhance William & Mary’s success and standing in undergraduate and graduate education nationally.

Integrate Data, internal and external, to Inform Planning and Decision-making In today’s rapidly changing and complex world data is critical to planning and decision-making. The provost seeks to identify relevant and timely data to bring into campus conversations in order to create a common understanding of William & Mary’s opportunities and challenges.

Pursue Strategic Initiatives To create new opportunities for students, faculty and staff into the future, the provost pursues new ventures that align with William & Mary’s strengths and objectives. These new ventures will expand William & Mary’s reach and impact programmatically as well as diversify the university's revenue streams through creative partnerships across sectors such as education, government and business.

Foster a Culture of Well-Being, Transparency & Belonging Collaboration, communication, transparency, and mutual respect are key components of the provost’s leadership style. Seeking active engagement with faculty, students and staff, the provost strives to co-create an academic culture that is high quality while also being supportive of one another’s well-being and success.

Biography

Peggy Agouris has served as provost of William & Mary since 2019, leading the university’s academic and research enterprise. A distinguished scholar and academic leader, she has advanced academic innovation, interdisciplinary research, faculty and student success, and institutional growth throughout her career.

Under her leadership, the university achieved R1 status, reflecting its expanded research capacity and national impact. Dr. Agouris has been instrumental in the creation of William & Mary’s first new school in over 50 years—the School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics—and in expanding the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences to include an undergraduate program, which recently received a $50 million gift for student scholarships.

A data scientist specializing in remote sensing and geospatial intelligence, Dr. Agouris has led numerous externally funded research initiatives in collaboration with government agencies, industry partners, and research institutions. Her scholarship has earned numerous awards and honors, and her research has been widely cited for contributions to advancements in the field.

Before joining William & Mary, she served as dean of the College of Science at George Mason University, where she oversaw one of the university’s most research-active units, securing major  external funding and expanding cross-disciplinary academic initiatives. She has also held faculty and research positions at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, and the University of Maine.

Originally from Athens, Greece, Dr. Agouris earned her engineering degree from the National Technical University of Athens and her master’s and doctoral degrees from The Ohio State University. She also holds a degree in classical music from the Hellenic Conservatory of Music and Arts. A former international student, she brings a global perspective to higher education, fostering mission-driven leadership that advances institutional success, innovation, and impactful national and international engagement.