Chancellor Search Committee’s candidate profile calls for ‘crisis-tested’ leader
Syracuse University’s Chancellor Search Committee finalized its position profile, co-chairs announced Tuesday. The document calls for a “crisis-tested” leader and a champion of shared governance. Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer
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Syracuse University’s Chancellor Search Committee announced its finalized position description as it begins to search for candidates for Chancellor Kent Syverud’s successor.
The document outlines general expectations for SU’s next chancellor with a profile including the candidate’s “ideal experience” and general information about the university, according to the Tuesday campus-wide email.
The profile states the chancellor will serve as an “inspiring” and “transparent communicator,” listening to faculty, staff, students and community leaders. The committee’s ideal leader is described as “crisis-tested,” comfortable making “difficult choices” and leading with a shared vision.
Expectations include serving as an advocate for higher education in an “increasingly skeptical environment” and a “champion” of shared governance, fostering a culture of transparency and “meaningful consultation.”
The position description mentions Micron because of SU’s role in the company’s decision to build a semiconductor facility in Syracuse. It states the next chancellor will be part of a “critical moment,” developing strategies that align academic programs, research and workforce development with the “needs of emerging industries.”
The document also says that college athletics has undergone a “dramatic transformation” with the introduction of name, image and likeness rights. It says the next chancellor must be a strategic leader who understands the complexities of modern collegiate athletics while maintaining SU’s “competitive position.”
All information is available on the Chancellor Search website.
In the email, search committee Co-Chairs Shelly Fisher and Lisa Fontenellil said the update is a culmination of an intensive and deliberate engagement process.
The co-chairs said hundreds of students, faculty, staff, alumni, volunteer leaders, community partners and elected officials participated in engagement sessions.
With the conclusion of the position description, the search committee will begin reviewing candidates. There may be less chancellor updates over the next couple of months as the search committee will be engaging in “important deliberative work.”
The committee hopes to identify candidate finalists in January 2026 and select the next chancellor in the spring for the start of the 2026-27 academic year, the email states.
