Chancellor Syverud’s Inauguration to Be Held April 11

Kent Syverud will be inaugurated as Syracuse University’s 12th Chancellor and President on Friday, April 11. The day will include a series of campus ceremonies, events and celebrations to bring the University community together and mark Chancellor Syverud’s formal installation.
The day will begin at 7 a.m., with students, faculty and staff invited to join the Chancellor on a “1.2”-mile inaugural run across campus and conclude with a campus community celebration on the Shaw Quad.

The formal inauguration ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. inside Hendricks Chapel with the academic procession into the chapel beginning at 3:30 p.m. The procession will include SU student, faculty and staff representatives; delegates from colleges and universities in the region and nationally; the Chancellor’s spouse, Dr. Ruth Chen, a Professor of Practice at the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science; the Chancellor’s party; members of the Board of Trustees; deans; senior university leaders; and invited guests. A very special participant will be U.S. Supreme Court Justice (retired) Sandra Day O’Connor, for whom Chancellor Syverud served as law clerk in 1984.

The inauguration ceremony will include greetings from student, faculty and alumni representatives; reflections by Justice O’Connor; and remarks by Chancellor Syverud. The official charge of office and medal presentation to the Chancellor will be given by Chairman of the Board of Trustees Richard L. Thompson G’67. Music will be provided by members of the University Singers. The ceremony is expected to conclude no later than 5:15 p.m.

“This day marks a distinctive milestone in the history of Syracuse University,” says Chairman Thompson. “We are extremely fortunate to have Chancellor Syverud at the helm of our great University. I look forward to the SU community coming together for this special day as we formally welcome the Chancellor and celebrate his commitment to steward us toward an even brighter future.”

The Hendricks Chapel ceremony will be ticketed and will be broadcast to several locations on campus and streamed online at www.syr.edu. Tickets are limited, and opportunities for students, faculty and staff to obtain them will be announced in the next several weeks.
Prior to the inauguration ceremony, an academic symposium will be held. More details about the symposium’s theme, program and participants will be announced shortly.

An inaugural celebration on the Shaw Quad at 5:15 p.m. will conclude the day, with members of the campus community and public invited to join with Chancellor Syverud for food, music and entertainment in a large, enclosed and heated tent. This event will conclude at 6:30 p.m.

In addition, as part of Chancellor Syverud’s inauguration, a competition called Fast Forward will be held. SU students will propose new inaugural-inspired projects that reflect the bold decisions, creative ideas and risk-taking that has guided SU during the past 144 years, and should be part of its future as a great private University in the 21st century. The winning students will be given grants of up to $1,500 to fund the completion of their projects, and will also pitch their ideas at an event held during the afternoon of April 11. Information on the competition can be found at http://fastforward.syr.edu.

More information about all these events, including the student competition and 1.2-mile inaugural run with the Chancellor, will be announced shortly. With the exception of the Hendricks Chapel ceremony, which will be ticketed, all events are open to the campus and community.

An inauguration committee appointed by Chancellor Syverud is helping to shape the day’s events. The committee membership includes representation from such key groups as students, faculty, staff, alumni and the Board of Trustees. The committee includes Boris J. Gresely ’15, president of the Student Association; Patrick Neary G’10, president of the Graduate Student Organization; Newhouse School Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Public Communications Hub Brown; Lisa Dolak L’88, the Angela S. Cooney Professor of Law; Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz, interim senior vice president and dean of student affairs; alumnus Peter Lynch ’74; alumnus Ryan York ’06, president of the Central New York Alumni Association; and Life Trustee Susan Penny ’70.