Syracuse University Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw passed the mantle of power, in the form of his floppy, orange hat, to the first woman to take the reins at SU.

University officials announced Friday that Nancy Cantor, currently chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will take over for Shaw as chancellor of SU. Cantor will be SU’s 11th chancellor and will be the first woman to hold the post.

‘It is really, truly a momentous day,’ said Joe Lampe, chairman of the Board of Trustees and head of Chancellor’s Search Committee.

Cantor appeared along side her husband Steven Brechin, who is an environmental sociologist, at a press conference this afternoon. She has served as UIUC’s chancellor since 2001 and holds her bachelor’s degree from Sarah Lawrence College and a Ph.D. in psychology at Stanford University. In addition to the chancellorship, Cantor has been named a distinguished professor of psychology and women’s studies.

‘I can only say how delighted I am that Dr. Cantor and Steve Brechin have decided to come to the dance,’ Shaw said.

The nearly eight-month search process culminated in a Board of Trustees meeting this morning in which 32 board members unanimously approved Cantor’s selection. She was the unanimous choice of the search committee, which began pursuing her as a candidate after receiving an outside recommendation, Lampe said.

Following preliminary interviews the committee unanimously decided to only call back one candidate, Cantor.

Cantor did her homework during the interview process, a fact that impressed the committee.

‘She could answer every single question,’ Lampe said. ‘She read every piece of material we gave her.’

Cantor lauded SU’s student-centered research philosophy and said that the university has the right mixture of students, faculty and staff to make a difference.

‘My sense about Syracuse is its not stodgy, its not full of itself,’ she said. ‘It’s the right size and scale to make a big difference.’

Cantor plans to leave her post at UIUC by July 1 and will take office at SU when Shaw retires in August. Although he could not disclose the details of her contract, Lampe said Cantor’s compensation is in line with Shaw’s current contract and those at other comparable universities and colleges.

 

Published on February 5, 2004 at 12:00 pm