Honored, Grateful and Inspired

Dear Orange Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni and Friends:

I am profoundly humbled, honored and deeply grateful, to have been selected to serve as Syracuse University’s 13th chancellor and president.

I want to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to the Board of Trustees, and to Board Chairman Jeff Scruggs, for the trust they have placed in me. I also want to thank the search committee co-chairs and every member of the committee for their dedication to a process that was thoughtful, thorough and worthy of this University. And to the many students, faculty, staff and alumni who gave your time, shared your voices and engaged with care and candor—thank you. Your investment in this process speaks volumes about who we are as an institution and as a community.

I also want to extend my gratitude to Chancellor Kent Syverud and Dr. Ruth Chen. Together, they have dedicated 12 years of their lives to Syracuse University, its mission and its people. They leave Syracuse better and stronger than when they found it and I hope to achieve the same outcome. I am forever grateful for Chancellor Syverud’s support, guidance and friendship.

Syracuse University and Central New York have been my home for nearly 20 years. I came here in 2006, drawn to this institution’s tradition of service, its distinctive character and what I describe today as our Orange spirit. Over these two decades, that spirit has challenged me and inspired me. It has also changed me. That is why this moment carries so much weight.

What’s next for me is not simply a new job. It’s a calling that cuts to the core of who I am and everything I value. I believe that the most meaningful roles are those defined not by what they offer you, but by what they ask of you. The chancellorship asks everything, and I am uniquely aware of the responsibility being conferred to my stewardship. I will honor that trust by committing all of me to advance our shared mission, to strengthen our community and to lead with integrity, courage and an unwavering faith in what we can achieve together.

Higher education stands at a defining inflection point, and Syracuse University must make consequential choices that will shape its future for generations to come. Yet I am profoundly optimistic, because I know this institution and the extraordinary people who bring it to life. I have witnessed the intellectual distinction and creative scholarship of our faculty. Each day, I experience the ambition, purpose and promise that our students bring to this campus. I deeply value the steadfast dedication of our staff, who form the backbone of this university’s excellence. I recognize, too, the enduring pride and loyalty of our alumni across the globe. Consequently, I am confident that when this community sets its course with clarity and conviction, we can navigate change and uncertainty and emerge better for the experience.

In the days and weeks ahead, I look forward to listening to our students, our faculty, our staff, our alumni and our neighbors in Central New York. My first obligation as Chancellor-elect is to earn your trust. What I can tell you now is this: I will show up. I will work hard. I will be a partner to anyone committed to advancing our shared purpose and priorities.

I will give everything I have to ensure that Syracuse University emerges from this moment stronger, more distinctive and more fully committed to the promise we make to every student who chooses to be part of this community.

I am honored beyond words. I am ready to get to work.

Go Orange!

J. Michael Haynie