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An interim leadership team will oversee Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety before a new DPS chief is chosen, Chancellor Kent Syverud announced in a campus-wide email Friday.

Bobby Maldonado, the current DPS chief, announced in January he would retire on Aug. 1, but SU officials asked him to stay longer as they had not yet hired a replacement. He will leave his role on Dec. 31.

The interim leadership team will provide oversight to the DPS during the transitional period, Syverud said in the email.

The team will include the following SU officials:

• Candace Campbell Jackson, senior vice president and chief of staff
• Dan French, senior vice president and general counsel
• Allen Groves, senior vice president for the student experience

Syverud said the search committee for Maldonado’s replacement has finished its first round of virtual interviews for the new DPS chief candidates and has identified those for the next round. SU plans to finish the search in the spring semester and announce the new chief before commencement.

Campus community members, such as those on the Community Review Board, academic leaders, student leaders, faculty and staff, will also meet the DPS chief candidates in the future, Syverud said.

SU and DPS will continue to implement the recommendations by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and the Community Review Board, which was created following Lynch’s recommendations, has been meeting regularly for this purpose, Syverud said.

Published on December 17, 2021 at 1:45 pm

Contact Francis: [email protected] | @francis_towne