On Thursday morning, the Syracuse University Board of Trustees announced that the search for Syracuse University's 12th Chancellor and President had come to a close. Kent Syverud is currently Dean of the School of Law at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri.
In a Q & A session with reporters, Syverud thanked members of the community and spoke about how excited he was to be returning to the Syracuse area for his new role.
"It’s like a dream, and I have been pinching myself. Because you dream that you will do a lot of things when you're a kid... You have no idea what a big deal Syracuse University was for me growing up, and for my family. It defined a lot of things, including education, college sports, spirit, and obviously family connections going way back here. So, it's just a dream, and I'm hoping to do my best at it."
As for his dual allegiances to both Syracuse and Georgetown, Syverud says, "Let's get the Georgetown thing behind us quickly, ok? I grew up in Syracuse and went to Georgetown from 1974 to 1977. I have rooted for Syracuse since I was a kid, while I was at Georgetown and since I was at Georgetown. I'm grateful to Georgetown for giving me a great Jesuit education... I'm very hopeful that Georgetown will can be a great and have the courage to face us every year in basketball."
Syverud spoke to the university community for the first time at Hendricks Chapel on Friday. Listen to a full recording of his address:
Syverud begins his official tenure as Chancellor on January 13, 2014. He will succeed Chancellor Nancy Cantor, who will become Chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark in January.
