The end of summer means the arrival of thousands of new students to Syracuse University, and the same is true for SU faculty – just not in such high numbers.

Each year, SU hires a few dozen new faculty members, and this year is no different, according to Kevin Morrow, spokesman for the university. This year boasts several notable hires, including a new chancellor and president, as well as three deans at a university with just 11 colleges.

Most notable among the new faces is Nancy Cantor, who replaced Kenneth A. ‘Buzz’ Shaw on Aug. 1 as chancellor and president of SU, the eleventh in the school’s 133-year history. Cantor had been the chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign and has held several other prominent positions, including chairwoman of Princeton’s department of psychology, dean of the University of Michigan’s graduate school as well as its provost and executive vice president positions.

In addition to being chancellor and president, Cantor will also serve as a distinguished professor of psychology and women’s studies in The College of Arts and Sciences. Although this means she may teach classes eventually, she will not do so this semester as she focuses instead on acquainting herself with SU and the community, as well as formulating the direction in which she wants to take SU, Morrow said.

Accompanying Cantor to SU will be her husband, Steven Brechin, who will serve as a professor of sociology at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and The College of Arts and Sciences.

Brechin himself carries an impressive resume: He was an associate professor at the universities of Illinois and Michigan as well as a faculty member at Princeton University. Brechin’s current work focuses on the global sociology of environmental issues and he served as assistant director of the Princeton Environmental Institute before leaving for Michigan in 1996.

In addition to the Cantors, SU appointed three deans in the past nine months.

Mark Robbins was named dean of the School of Architecture in January and will start work this semester.

Robbins graduated from SU in 1981 with a master’s degree in architecture and worked at several architecture firms before starting his own in 1986. He taught at the Ohio State University school of architecture from 1990 to 1999 and from 1999 to 2002 he was director of design for the National Endowment of the Arts. Prior to his appointment as dean, he was a visiting critic at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Eric Spina was named dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science in December of 2003 after serving as associate dean of the college since 2000.

Spina has been a member of ECS’s faculty for more than 15 years, serving as chairman of the department of mechanical, aerospace and manufacturing engineering from 1995-1998. His research focused mainly on fluid mechanics and his work led to millions of dollars in research money for SU. His deanship began Dec. 15.

Carole Brzozowski was named dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts in March after serving as interim dean since 2000.Brzozowski has been with the university since 1978. She graduated from the Setnor School of Music in 1981 and worked with the School of Management and College of Human Services. She served as the VPA assistant dean for undergraduate student services from 1994 to 2000.

Published on August 29, 2004 at 12:00 pm