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Past chancellors at Syracuse University each assumed varying levels of interaction with the city of Syracuse and central New York. The university plays an important role within the city, affecting its economic and social structure beyond those who attend SU, according to an SU release.

Whether it be through increased student involvement or addressing the university’s economic effect, local organizations and politicians said they hope to see acting Chancellor Mike Haynie look beyond SU’s campus.

After a months-long process, the Chancellor Search Committee announced that Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation and Whitman Dean Haynie would take the helm on May 11. Haynie entered the position almost a month early on April 15 after outgoing Chancellor Kent Syverud announced he would be stepping down after receiving a brain cancer diagnosis.

“I will seek out students who see this place most clearly because they are living it” Haynie said in a campus-wide email on April 27. “And I will seek out the citizens of Syracuse and Central New York, because this university exists as an integral part of this city and this region—a relationship I intend to honor and deepen.”

An SU alum, Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens and her team collaborate with SU frequently, holding talks at the university, while maintaining a relationship with current faculty.

“While SU remains a vital hub of economic and cultural growth within our City, it is important to recognize and mitigate its impact on the City and its ability to deliver services,” her office wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange.

Despite Owens’ expressed commitment to working with Haynie, the relationship between SU and the city extends beyond politicians.

Chris Foley, CEO and president of Interfaith Works of CNY, said university students have much to learn from engaging in the city and hopes that Haynie “embraces that opportunity fully.”

“Students who engage in that work do not just learn about diversity in a classroom. They experience what it takes to build bridges across difference in a real community,” Foley said. “My hope is that the new chancellor sees those partnerships not as community service alone, but as core to the university’s educational mission.”

Andy Mager, a member of the Syracuse Peace Council for over 40 years, said throughout his time working with the university, he’s seen both “positive collaborations” as well as “oppositions.”

Mager said during former Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s time, his organization and the city felt most connected with SU. He cited the creation of the Connective Corridor bus route, the construction of the Nancy Cantor Warehouse and the Haudenosaunee Promise scholarship program as initiatives Cantor started that benefited the city.

“It seemed to us that Chancellor Syverud pulled back a lot from much of the community connection and involvement that Nancy had initiated,” Mager said.

Mager said Haynie currently faces many “threats to academic freedom” from President Donald Trump’s administration, which Mager called on him to “resist.” Mager said he would also like to see Haynie adopt a similar attitude as Cantor, encouraging students to engage with the broader community beyond SU’s campus.

Beyond specific initiatives, Haynie adopting a positive attitude toward the city is important for both Syracuse and SU students, Tammy Honeywell, Onondaga County legislature candidate, said.

“We have a lot of growing small businesses in downtown Syracuse that are really expanding beyond just being a small business and trying to develop like places, safe places for people to go, or people to connect and network and just find other opportunities within the community,” Honeywell said.

As an educational institution, SU is exempt from federal and state income taxes. Honeywell said the amount of land the university owns has increased, causing it to “deplete some of our (city’s) revenue.”

Onondaga County Legislature Maurice Brown also commented on the amount of property SU owns, including South Campus.

“I think South Campus is such (an) underutilized opportunity. I have a bias. I live close,” Brown said. “But there’s so much land on South Campus … and we could use that land. Or you guys could use that land and give us some of the land on Marshall Street that SU keeps gobbling up.”

The 15th district that Brown represents encompasses South Campus, and he emphasized how Syracuse and the university are “intertwined.”

“From what I’ve heard so far, (Haynie) understands that his priority is to students and that should be his priority, absolutely. Just like my priority are the constituents of the 15th district,” Brown said. “But at the same time, there’s intersection. There are students who are my constituents. And he should care about both.”

Running for Brown’s current position, Onondaga County Legislature Candidate and Public School Teacher Jo Bennett said that they are focused on “accountability” rather than “innovation” from the university.

“The surge in temporary student housing is driving up costs and displacing long-term residents while our homelessness rates rise,” Bennett said in a statement to The D.O. “We need a chancellor who recognizes that the university’s ‘momentum’ is hollow if it leaves our neighbors behind.”

Owen’s office said they have had a “productive relationship” with SU and the chancellor, which will continue under Haynie’s leadership.

“As our current shared services agreement expires this summer, we will continue to engage with the Common Council and university leadership to partner together to uplift residents and students alike,” Owen’s office wrote. “The City is looking forward to working with Chancellor Haynie to forge new pathways of cooperation for the good of our community.”

Published on May 4, 2026 at 11:20 pm