SU finds next Chancellor from within: Mike Haynie

Syracuse University hired the institution’s next chancellor from within. The school announced Tuesday that J. Michael Haynie will take the helm as its 13th Chancellor and President.

Haynie was introduced at the announcement by Board of Trustees Chair Jeffrey Scruggs. The now Chancellor-Elect Mike Haynie will replace outgoing Chancellor Kent Syverud, who Haynie praised for championing Syracuse’s students and the school’s mission during challenging times.

“The foundation that you've built here is one that I will and others build upon,” Haynie said to Syverud. “And I don't take that obligation lightly.”

The 9-month search involved a committee of 24 trustees, staff, faculty members, and students, including SU’s Student Government President German Nolivos.

“I stand here proud of where we've been and excited of what's come next," Nolivos said. “(I am) full of joy, full of hope, and deeply confident that the future of this university … is in the hands of someone who has loved it, lived it, and never stopped believing in it.”

Haynie’s tenure at Syracuse University began in 2006 as a professor in entrepreneurship at the Whitman School of Management. He had served earlier in the military. He went on to launch a number of successful and innovative initiatives, including the Institute for Veterans and Military families, as well as the recent Center for the Creator Economy. He also saw the fruition of his passion project, the Danielo Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

Chancellor Syverud saw in Haynie rare leadership and asked him to lead SU’s Covid-19 pandemic response.

“He didn't hesitate,” added Board Chair Scruggs. “And because of his leadership, the University stayed open. Our students had an outstanding experience, and Syracuse proved once again that when this community is called upon, it delivers.”

His leadership during the pandemic and other projects convinced the committee that the best candidate was right here in their own backyard.

“I would be a hypocrite on one hand to have put roots down and invested in this university the way I have over 20 years. And then to say, this job's going to be hard, not for me, Haynie said. “I am someone who has always found deep meaning in purpose. And for me, this is the opportunity to serve with purpose."

Read Haynie's message to the campus community here.

Hainey begins his official duties as Syracuse’s Chancellor and President July 1st.