Syracuse University’s Shaw sets a winning example with high-profile leadership award

Syracuse University’s Shaw sets a winning example with high-profile leadership awardJanuary 28, 2003Matthew R. Snydermrsnyder@syr.edu

Recognizing Syracuse University Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw for his leadership in academe and in the community, the nation’s largest nonprofit education association will honor him at a Feb. 1 ceremony in New York. At its combined conference for Districts I and II, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) will present Shaw with its District II Chief Executive Leadership Award.

We are proud to recognize Chancellor Shaw for his extraordinary leadership of Syracuse University and, by extension, his contributions to the advancement of American higher education,” says Vance Peterson, president of CASE. He notes, “Today’s most effective campus leaders inspire others through their own unique combination of vision and commitment to the importance of education in human affairs.”

Shaw became SU’s 10th Chancellor and president in 1991. Previously, he was president of the University of Wisconsin System (1986-91), chancellor of the Southern Illinois University System (1979-86), president of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (1977-79) and vice president and dean of the university at Towson State University (1969-77).

At each of the institutions where Shaw has held appointments, he worked to “push the envelope” in higher education, says CASE District II Chair James H. Heisey. Heisey credits Shaw with inspiring others and elevating Syracuse University’s stature, “all while fulfilling his commitment to the enrichment of undergraduate education.”

At SU, Shaw’s commitment has inspired changes to the University’s learning environment, growth in facilities and technology, and initiatives to improve finances, student services and faculty morale-all aimed at making Syracuse the nation’s leading student-centered research university. “My longtime association with SU, first as a student and then as a staff member, has allowed me to witness the University’s metamorphosis and to appreciate the difference Chancellor Shaw has made,” says Sandi Tams Mulconry, associate vice president for university communications, who nominated him for the award. “It is a testament to his leadership that, at a time when many institutions are struggling, Syracuse University has advanced and prospered.”

In a letter supporting the nomination, Stanley O. Ikenberry, former president of the American Council on Education, says Shaw “has emerged as one of the most respected leaders in American higher education,” and that he “exemplifies the very best in academic leadership, as one who is leaving a lasting mark.”

That lasting mark – or “Syracuse Transformation” – has inspired other institutions, including the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Northwestern University, to “join forces to introduce changes like those at Syracuse,” wrote Barbara D. Wright in the July/August 2001 issue of Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning.

Locally, Shaw works to bolster the University’s contribution to the quality of life in nearby neighborhoods; he also helps steer several nonprofit and community development organizations, including the Metropolitan Development Association and Syracuse 20/20. On the national stage, he lends guidance to such groups as the NCAA, the New York State Education Department, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and the Council on Competitiveness.

CASE District II represents more than 700 learning institutions in New York, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the professional organization for advancement professionals who work in alumni relations, communications, and development.