Dear Orange Bleeders:
My first two days as Chancellor are a blur akin to every student’s first days on campus: I met lots of wonderful and kind people, and had many chance encounters with faculty, staff, and students. I fear the unspoken question on their minds was, “Who really is this guy?” Thanks to all of you for accepting me the way Dean Biklen has taught me to accept every new student: with a presumption of competence, a belief in a capacity for excellence, and a willingness to help.
I saw many inspiring people this week: Danny Goldberg, founder of the mixed martial arts company Golden Gear ; Celeste Currie, whose company, Soulscarf , shares proceeds with beloved causes; Michael Amadori, who launched Full Circle Feed to recycle discarded “people food” into dog treats; and Nick Dorfer, founder of the garage rental space company Openlift . These are just some of the student entrepreneurs whose budding business ventures are getting needed support and guidance from the local business community through the Student Sandbox at the Syracuse Tech Garden. I have not seen a university that better models this entrepreneurial engagement with the startup community in the center of our city.
I toured the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Renée Crown University Honors Program, the Slutzker Center for International Services, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. I peered into many classes in session in these places and, while walking between them, wished I could sit in the back of each room and learn. There are so many amazing classes and projects and programs, all within a block or two of each other. I wonder how many people I meet are aware of how much is happening right alongside them. In the Schine Student Center at lunchtime, I met a senior, Alexis Madison, who has had so many jobs and activities that she has never made it to a basketball game in the Dome. That can’t be! Ruth and I are taking her to the Pittsburgh game on Saturday.
Most important of all, I talked with 26 brand new faculty members from all schools and colleges at a small reception on Tuesday at the Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center. To a person, they are stars in their fields of research that span an incredible range of key human knowledge. To a person, they told me they had great teachers themselves and want to be a transforming teacher for students here. The new faculty gave me faith that the future of Syracuse will be bright.
Sincerely,
Chancellor Kent Syverud