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UPDATE: This story was updated at 10:30 a.m. on March 3, 2026.

Mike Haynie has been named the 13th chancellor and president of Syracuse University, it announced at an event hosted at the National Veterans Resource Center Tuesday morning.

Haynie currently serves as the university’s vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive dean of the Whitman School of Management, but will begin his new position on July 1.

“Syracuse University is not just an institution to me. It is home. It is a community that has shaped me, challenged me and gave me the privilege of doing the most meaningful work of my life,” Haynie said in a Tuesday SU News release. “I am humbled and energized by the trust this community has placed in me, and I carry that trust as both an honor and a responsibility.”

Mike Haynie taking the podium to applause after his appointment was announced. Syracuse University named Haynie as the 13th chancellor and president on Tuesday morning. Avery Magee | Photo Editor

Haynie has been a senior member of SU’s leadership team for over a decade, overseeing various academic programs and innovation initiatives. In 2018, Haynie was named a University Professor, the most selective academic recognition awarded to SU faculty.

Most notably, Haynie, who served for 14 years in the United States Air Force, founded the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families, where he now serves as executive director. Haynie also facilitated the construction of the National Veterans Resource Complex — an early priority of SU’s Campus Framework and the first of its kind in the U.S.

Last fall, Haynie also headlined the launch of the Center for the Creator Economy, a joint venture between the Whitman School and the Newhouse School of Public Communications.

“For more than two decades, he has poured himself into this institution, expanding its reach, deepening its impact and championing the students and communities it exists to serve. His record of leadership is extraordinary, and the Board has great confidence in the future of Syracuse University. We are proud to welcome him as our 13th chancellor and president,” Jeff Scruggs, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said in the release.

Haynie received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware, as well as a Ph.D. in entrepreneurship and business strategy at the University of Colorado at Boulder and an MBA at the University of Oregon.

“The foundation we stand on is strong. Our best days are ahead, and I’m ready to get to work alongside our remarkable students, world-class faculty and passionate alumni in service to our highest purpose—academic excellence,” Haynie said in the release. “Working together we will ensure Syracuse University remains a place where great ideas catch fire, where students discover their purpose and where bold ambition is matched by an equally bold commitment to the world beyond our walls.”

He succeeds Chancellor Kent Syverud, who is leaving SU after 12 years to serve a five-year term as president at the University of Michigan. In August, he announced he would step down from his role as chancellor in June 2026. He confirmed in January he would serve as the next UMich president, but would finish the 2025-2026 school year at SU.

Haynie directly reported to Syverud as vice chancellor. The two collaborated on the D’Aniello Institute, NVRC and other projects for veterans and military-connected students.

Haynie was chosen by a search committee, led by Board of Trustee members Shelly Fisher and Lisa Fontenelli. The committee comprised 24 members of SU’s faculty, staff, board members and students.

“From those conversations, a portrait emerged of a leader who would dedicate themselves to our mission, our people and our future, who would sustain tradition as well as create and transform, whose entrepreneurial instincts and decisive leadership will help Syracuse University to navigate the challenges and realize the opportunities of this moment. Mike Haynie is that leader. We are confident he will carry this institution forward with distinction,” Fontenelli said in the release.

More coverage on Mike Haynie:

• Mission clarity: SU’s decades-long military legacy inspires ‘best place’ commitment to veterans
• Center for the Creator Economy legitimizes SU as influencer breeding ground
• Vice chancellor: Syracuse University could help improve support, regional retention of student entrepreneurs
• Meet the key members of SU’s Office of Government and Community Relations
• Leaders of SU: 10 key leaders at the university

Published on March 3, 2026 at 9:44 am
Contact Kendall: kaluther@syr.edu