Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the first day of the spring 2014 semester. Like our 255 Winter Welcome students who begin their academic careers at Syracuse University today, I have very much looked forward to this day, my first official day as your 12th Chancellor and President.
The best part of joining a university is getting to know the students, faculty, staff and alumni. I have already met many of you during my numerous visits and will meet many more in the days and weeks ahead. During this time, I plan to listen and learn with a focus on how we can be a great university that provides the best possible education to our students. At a new website (chancellor.syr.edu), I will update you regularly through short notes like this one, about the people I have met, the places I have visited, and what I have learned.
Along with our students, I too have a busy first day ahead. Today, my wife, Dr. Ruth Chen (a professor in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science), and I will have lunch with student orientation leaders at the Schine Dining Center, stop by an open house at the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and tour and meet with students at the Slutzker Center for International Services. We will also visit the Syracuse Student Sandbox in downtown Syracuse to meet student entrepreneurs, and we will end the day by spending time with first-year faculty who, like us, are new to Syracuse.
I hope you will share your thoughts and ideas with me. I look forward to exciting days and great opportunities ahead.
Finally, I want to thank all the Brewster-Boland-Brockway students, RAs and staff who taught me about Syracuse in December. You are the best!
Sincerely,
Chancellor Kent Syverud