UPDATED: Sept. 12, 6:02 a.m.

Kent D. Syverud has been named the 12th chancellor and president of Syracuse University, officials announced Thursday.

Syverud is currently the dean of the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis, but will begin his new venture on Jan. 13, 2014.

“I am honored by the opportunity to lead SU, determined to help every part of it achieve its potential and, together, carry forward this remarkable legacy,” Syverud said in a SU News release published Thursday.

Board of Trustees Chairman Richard Thompson released a statement to the SU community via email Thursday morning.

“Chancellor-designate Syverud is exceptionally well prepared to guide SU as we seek to build on our tremendous momentum and continue to raise SU’s profile while fulfilling its proud legacy,” he said in the statement.

Thompson went on to say that Syverud expressed impressive depth and range of experience throughout the selection process. Syverud has worked at multiple prestigious law firms, according to the statement, including a stint as a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Syverud, an Upstate New York native, has been the dean of Washington University Law since 2006, and has a reputation as someone able to anticipate the ever-changing landscape of higher education, according to the SU News release. In his nearly 20 years of work in higher education, he has dealt with various issues, namely academic, fiscal and diversity.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, as well as a law degree and master’s in economics from the University of Michigan, according to the release.

Syverud will replace Chancellor Nancy Cantor, who, after roughly 10 years, is leaving SU to become chancellor of Rutgers University’s Newark campus. In the release, she said Syverud was a “superb choice.”

She continued: “He understands that the genius of SU as an institution is the way we interweave excellence and access, liberal and professional education, campus and community, local and global, creating an ever-changing fabric together that is both brilliant and resilient.”

In October 2012, Cantor announced she would leave SU after her contract expires in June 2014. However, after Rutgers announced her new position this past June, it was determined Cantor would leave six months earlier than anticipated to begin her new job on Jan. 1, 2014.

Syverud was chosen by a search committee comprising 23 SU faculty, staff and students. Joanne Alper, a member of the Board of Trustees, served as committee chair.

The SU community has the opportunity to meet Syverud at Hendricks Chapel at 1 p.m. Thursday.

Published on September 12, 2013 at 5:16 am

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