Board of Trustees Announces Contract Extension for Chancellor Kent Syverud

Syracuse University’s Board of Trustees today announced it has extended Chancellor Kent Syverud’s contract to 2026. Today’s announcement follows a review of the Chancellor’s performance, leadership and vision for the future of Syracuse University. As part of that review, the Board collected feedback from campus community members, including deans, faculty, students, staff, alumni, trustees and administrators.

“Over the last nine years, Chancellor Syverud, along with the talented leadership team he has built, has worked tirelessly to advance academic and research excellence, elevate the student experience and create a campus community that is truly welcoming to all,” says Kathy Walters ’73, chair of the Board. “He has done all this despite facing historic challenges, including a once-in-a-generation global pandemic. We are grateful for his leadership, calm under pressure and distinctive vision for the future of Syracuse University.”

In making this decision, the Board also cited the Chancellor’s evolving and distinctive vision for the University’s future, and the positive momentum he has built during his nine years at Syracuse. Sound management of the COVID-19 crisis, the University’s strong financial standing and the transformative physical changes on campus are among the accomplishments recognized by the Board. Specifically, during his tenure, the University has:

• Reimagined and redefined the student experience with significant physical changes to the University’s campus, including the opening of the Barnes Center at The Arch, a holistic student health and wellness facility; renovating the Schine Student Center to better meet the needs of today’s students; transforming and renaming the iconic JMA Wireless Dome; and replacing a busy road with a pedestrian-friendly promenade, the Einhorn Family Walk, through the heart of campus.
• Built operating financial strength and stability: the endowment doubled to more than $1.7 billion in 2022; and launched the ongoing Forever Orange campaign, which has raised more than $1.24 billion.
• Focused on academic excellence, including hiring nearly 500 new full-time faculty since 2018 across multiple disciplines, schools and colleges and through the Cluster, Signature and Diversity Hire Programs, which together seek to advance interdisciplinary research, expand faculty diversity and strengthen the University’s global research reputation.
• Tripled enrollment of veterans and military-connected families since 2014, while simultaneously advancing key priorities in this area, including the expansion of Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families and the creation of the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, a state-of-the-art facility to house innovative military-centered programming.
• Hired the University’s inaugural chief diversity and inclusion officer and commissioned the University’s first ever Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Plan.
• Experienced record applications and enrollment, attracting an increasingly diverse and academically accomplished undergraduate student body.
• Embraced and encouraged innovation with the launch of online degrees and programs, including overseeing of Syracuse University Global and the first online J.D. degree program in the nation.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.