When Candace Campbell Jackson arrived on the Syracuse University campus in 2015, she was uniquely qualified to take on the role of vice president and chief of staff on then-Chancellor Kent Syverud’s senior leadership team.

The chief of staff (COS) role was not common at universities at the time; it was most often found in the military and government. This was a role Campbell Jackson essentially defined in 2004 at the University of Akron, at a time when no other Ohio university had a COS and there were few in the nation.

Campbell Jackson brought to Syracuse deep insight into the significant impact a COS could have on a campus community and beyond. Now, after 11 years, she is concluding her term as and transitioning to a senior advisor to the chancellor role that will support Chancellor J. Michael Haynie’s new leadership team.

“These chief of staff jobs are all-consuming, as they should be,” says Campbell Jackson. “It demands your whole self and you give it, because a university changes lives by nourishing minds, igniting passions, shaping careers, inspiring entrepreneurship and artistic endeavors and enriching communities.”

The trusting relationships Campbell Jackson built with Syverud and the leadership team were the foundation for success. “The leaders you work with deserve your honest assessment of the situation,” says Campbell Jackson. “You have to master team dynamics and seek out the opinions of the entire team. I love it when someone tells me something I didn’t expect to hear and this new knowledge or perspective inspires more thought and deliberation. And if that results in an 11th-hour change of heart or mind, that’s good decision-making.”

“Candace has been one of the most important people in my professional life,” says Chancellor Emeritus Kent Syverud, who ended his tenure as chancellor in April. “When the hardest decisions were in front of us, I always wanted to know what she thought—not because she told me what I wanted to hear, but because I could always trust that she never would. We have navigated some of the most consequential moments in this university’s recent history together, and at every turn she brought clarity, honesty and an unwavering commitment to doing right by Syracuse and its people. Syracuse is better because of her candor, her steadiness and her judgment under pressure. And so am I for having worked alongside her.”

Cultivating Leadership on Campus

In her role as COS, Campbell Jackson facilitated and co-chaired the 150-person , comprising key executives from multiple departments. Her role was to ensure that each team member was able to articulate decisions with clarity and confidence, strengthening internal communications across campus.

“I have known Candace as a colleague and as a friend, and both of those experiences have made me a better professional,” says , who became the University’s 13th chancellor and president in April. “She is the kind of person who makes an institution work through an extraordinary dedication to the people and its mission. She brings a level of genuine care that is rare, and Syracuse has been the beneficiary of that for a long time. I have no doubt Candace will invest herself in her new role of advising me on leadership development, strategic partnerships and community impact matters with the same commitment and heart she brought to this place for the last decade.”

Campbell Jackson also cultivated leadership in new ways on campus, launching the (WiL) Initiative in 2018 to advance professional development for faculty and staff through education, awareness and mentorship. Reflecting on Campbell Jackson’s leadership, WiL participants praised her “genuine appreciation for people and commitment to creating opportunities for growth.”

Despite the enormous pressures on higher education, Campbell Jackson is optimistic for the students, faculty and staff at Syracuse University. “I believe the leadership is poised to take the University to new heights. It has been a pacesetter in so many ways and I can’t wait to see what lies just beyond the horizon.”

Forging Partnerships Beyond Campus

Campbell Jackson extended the impact of WiL well beyond the campus, spearheading a partnership between the and the nationally recognized Women Leaders in Sports organization, which is dedicated to accelerating the potential of women to positively impact sports. The partnership provides Falk students with mentoring, learning and internships, and supports professional development for Falk faculty.

According to , CEO of , “Candace has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to build meaningful partnerships, connect people around a shared vision and create opportunities that leave a lasting legacy. She approaches every conversation with a forward-looking, ‘next play’ mindset that inspires progress, growth and meaningful change. Her legacy will be measured not only by her accomplishments, but by the people and communities she has strengthened along the way, especially her commitment to investing in women leaders.”

It’s the “next play” mindset that has become a mantra of sorts for Campbell Jackson and a fundamental principle in her efforts to cultivate leaders and mentor students. “It is my absolute joy to develop relationships and watch my mentees flourish,” she says.

Car Shapiro ’23, who met Campbell Jackson when visiting Syracuse as a high school student, says, “She took me under her wing and helped time and time again at school, giving me the confidence to be myself. She often said, ‘Take care of your people and they’ll take care of you.’” Shapiro is pursuing a career in New York City with a degree in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises from the and a portfolio of connections.

Nurturing Creativity

The partnerships forged by Campbell Jackson during her tenure at Syracuse run deep in the arts community as well, reflecting her desire to nurture the creative talents and aspirations of students. After learning that the internationally renowned photographer Carrie Mae Weems lives in Syracuse, Campbell Jackson approached Syverud with the idea of creating an Artist-in-Residence program to bring prominent and emerging artists to campus to collaborate with faculty and students.

Syverud gave his full support, and Weems became the inaugural Artist-in-Residence in 2020, recently concluding her residency. She worked with students on several projects, providing new outlets for creative energies on campus and beyond and bringing national attention to the University.

Similarly, Campbell Jackson saw an opportunity to renew a partnership between the University and the prestigious Syracuse International Jazz Fest, now in its 40th year. “It was a chance to spotlight our talented students and faculty and bring them closer to famous artists like Kenny G, Gladys Knight, Herbie Hancock and Trombone Shorty.”

This year, the Syracuse University National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building will host the U.S. Air Force Band’s Airmen of Note on the festival’s opening night. The festival closes with a hosted by , featuring students and community singers. “This partnership is a gift to campus and community, and the opportunity for the connection and collaboration has just been magical,” says Campbell Jackson.

“Candace is a philanthropist in every sense,” says , president and CEO of the Central New York Community Foundation. “She is beyond generous and unselfishly gives her time, treasure and expertise to so many. Her core belief is that relationships are foundational to building long-lasting partnerships. I have seen this demonstrated time and time again in her tenure at Syracuse University. She leans into innovation, problem-solving and collaboration in ways that have built and sustained relationships. This is her superpower.”

Leaving a Legacy and Looking Ahead

Campbell Jackson has been recognized for her contributions and impact with Syracuse University’s Chancellor’s Medal for Leadership (2021); the Trailblazer Award from Women Leaders in Sports (2022); by the Syracuse chapter of the American Heart Association (2023); the Fortitude Award from Delta Sigma Theta Syracuse Alumnae (2026); and the Higher Education Opportunity Program Robert L. Boney Service in Perpetuity Award (2026).

She continues to serve institutions beyond the University, as a trustee of Manlius Pebble High School; board of advisory member for the School of Education at her alma mater, Howard University; board member of Women Leaders in Sports and the National Grid Foundation; and member of the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council.

Looking back at serving as chief of staff for Chancellor Emeritus Syverud for more than a decade, Campbell Jackson says, “I had a front-row view of his deep commitment to our entire Syracuse University family—students, faculty, staff, alumni, community and global partners. Chancellor Syverud is personally very modest, but he was so bold and ambitious about Syracuse University’s mission and role in this world. It has been the privilege of my career to serve alongside him on his executive team and be inspired by his leadership.”

Campbell Jackson’s “next play” has her looking forward to spending more time with her husband, family and close friends, whom she credits for guiding, inspiring, grounding and supporting her. In the true spirit of the quote, “Joyful is the accumulation of good work,” Campbell Jackson says she has been “blessed with opportunities to have done professionally and personally meaningful work at Syracuse University with people I so love and admire. It has brought me infinite joy and gratitude.”

Three of Central New York’s most prominent champions for veterans, including Syracuse University ,  were honored May 28 at Madison County Distillery in Cazenovia, as WCNY launched its first “Mission: Honor Our Heroes”—an event raising funds to keep local veterans’ stories on the air.

Chancellor Haynie, Col. F. William (Bill) Smullen III, U.S. Army (Ret.), a Syracuse alumnus and former director of the University’s national security studies program, and Rear Admiral John Paddock, co-founder of Honor Flight Syracuse, were honored by WCNY.

The event secured funding for continued production and distribution of “Honor Flight Syracuse,” ensuring the voices and experiences of local veterans reach audiences across the region.

“‘Mission: Honor Our Heroes’ reflects �°䱷��’s deep commitment to telling the stories of those who have served our country and our community,” said Mitch Gelman, president and CEO of WCNY. “We are honored to recognize these extraordinary individuals while bringing our community together to celebrate their leadership, sacrifice and lasting impact.”

“I am humbled to be recognized as an advocate for Honor Flight Syracuse and Central New York veterans,” says Chancellor Haynie. “I have always believed that the debt we owe to those who have served and sacrificed for our nation’s defense can never be repaid, but it certainly can and should be acknowledged and honored. That’s what has driven Syracuse University to be a leader in veteran education, and that’s why I’m so proud to be a supporter of Honor Flight Syracuse.”

An influential researcher and scholar, Haynie assumed the chancellorship of Syracuse University on May 11. He is the founder of the and has an extensive record of national public service.

His advocacy for service members and veterans also includes serving as chairman of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Federal Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment, Training and Employer Outreach; vice chairman and later chairman of a White House Presidential Task Force on long-term reform at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); and membership on the George W. Bush Institute Advisory Council and the VA’s Veterans’ Advisory Committee on Education. Before entering academia, Haynie served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force for 14 years.

Smullen G’74 is a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army and U.S. State Department for more than 32 years. His last assignment on active duty was special assistant to the 11th and 12th Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral William J. Crowe Jr. and General Colin L. Powell. He served as director of Syracuse’s in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs from 2003-21 and taught in the . He is the former CEO of Clear Path for Veterans.

“For so many years WCNY has been a partner in amplifying the Honor Flight mission, in telling the stories of Central New York veterans and in helping our community understand the contributions of those who have served,” Haynie says. “Today we’re working to ensure that mission can continue so every veteran who wants to be part of the Honor Flight experience has not only that opportunity but the chance to share their story through WCNY.”

Miron Victory Court was the setting for the Faculty Research and Creative Excellence Celebration hosted by the April 27. The event served to honor faculty who earned prestigious external research awards, fellowships, grants and patents in 2025—which translates to more than 280 distinct recognitions spanning every school and college at the University.

Incoming spoke at the event, praising the research enterprise and sharing his vision for continued growth.

“I am coming into this role with deep respect for what has been built here, and with equally deep conviction that our best days as a research institution are still ahead of us,” he said.

Record Year for Sponsored Research

Sponsored research expenditures reached $95.6 million in 2025, a 5% increase over last year and a 49% increase over five years. Of the 178 faculty recognized at the event, 102 secured new sponsored project awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, New York State, various foundations, the private sector and other sources.

Haynie noted that the University’s “Research 1” Carnegie Classification places Syracuse among just 39 private doctoral universities in the nation recognized for the highest level of research activity.

“That is not a statistic on a website,” he told the faculty. “That is a reflection of you—your publications, your discoveries, your doctoral graduates and the external investment that your reputations have attracted to this institution.”

Vice President for Research also spoke at the event. He emphasized the importance of research to the University’s educational mission.

“Students do not choose Syracuse just because of our R1 classification,” he said. “They choose Syracuse because of what the R1 classification means: the opportunity to work with faculty who are doing the work we are recognizing tonight. That is the connection between the research enterprise and the educational mission of this University, and it is why our investment in research matters.”

Brown also noted that, “research attracts and retains our outstanding faculty, and those faculty bring the passion for what they do to our students, transforming them from consumers of knowledge to creators of knowledge and equipping them with the skills to solve challenges across the full breadth of human society.”

Honoree Highlights

Among those celebrated at the event were six physics faculty who shared the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, one of the most prestigious awards in science. Three faculty were elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Four early-career faculty received prestigious NSF CAREER Awards spanning chemistry, electrical engineering and computer science, physics and political science. Six faculty received Fulbright awards.

Additional recognition included diverse book and paper awards, artistic grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and CNY Arts, patents and international honors. In addition, multiple faculty earned awards from their respective professional societies.

Commitment to Research

Haynie called on faculty to pursue ambitious, externally funded research agendas, to collaborate across disciplines, to invest in mentoring doctoral students and to publicly communicate the value of their scholarship.

“The challenges facing our world—in health, in technology, in democracy, in sustainability, in human understanding—demand exactly the kind of rigorous, creative, courageous scholarship that happens at a place like Syracuse,” he said.

Haynie offered a direct pledge: “I will be an advocate for research, loudly and consistently. I will work to ensure that our faculty have the resources, the infrastructure and the institutional support they need to pursue ambitious ideas. Together, we will make sure that the next chapter of research at Syracuse University is the most consequential one yet.”

gets a hands-on welcome on his first day on the job, climbing to the top of Crouse College to learn the Syracuse alma mater on the iconic chimes with the help of a Chimesmaster.

The Chimesmasters of Syracuse University are a closely guarded secret, with their identities revealed only after graduation. But on Chancellor Haynie’s first day, one of them took him under their wing in the bell tower above the Setnor School of Music in the .

Watch as Chancellor Haynie navigates the winding stairs of Crouse College, gets a crash course on the chimes keyboard and, with a little help, rings out the Syracuse alma mater over the campus he now leads.

When arrived at Syracuse University’s in the fall of 2006 as an assistant professor, he had recently transitioned out of the Air Force as an officer after 14 years of service. He arrived in Syracuse with no particular intention of staying more than a few years. “My brain was sort of wired,” he told students at a recent fireside chat to celebrate Whitman Day. “I was used to staying in a place for a couple years.”

Nearly two decades later, on March 3, 2026, the Syracuse University Board of Trustees appointed him the institution’s 13th chancellor and president. The arc from his arrival to the University’s highest office is a story of scholarship put to use and of research that charted a new course.

The Scholar Behind the Work

Haynie completed a doctoral degree in entrepreneurship and business strategy at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His scholarship has been published in the world’s leading business and entrepreneurship journals, and his body of work has now been cited approximately 9,000 times.

That number places him, as Whitman Interim Dean Alex McKelvie said as he introduced Haynie at the fireside chat, “among the most influential entrepreneurship scholars in the world.” At Syracuse, he was recognized for his work by earning the Barnes Professorship and, in 2018, was named University Professor, the University’s highest faculty distinction.

“What makes Mike’s scholarly record so remarkable is not just the volume or the impact—it’s the context,” says McKelvie. “He has 21 journal publications with more than 100 citations each, including five with more than 500 citations each, while simultaneously building programs, leading institutions and taking on the University’s most pressing challenges. Most scholars of his caliber are doing research full time. Mike was doing it as a fraction of his job. That is what separates him.”

Much of Haynie’s work focused on entrepreneurial cognition: how successful founders think, decide and act under uncertainty. His findings pointed repeatedly toward military veterans—a population largely absent from entrepreneurship discourse, yet shaped by training that produces exactly the traits research links to high-performing entrepreneurs: quick consequential decisions, leadership under pressure and persistence through unpredictable environments. What was missing was a program to help them translate those skills into building a business.

An Entrepreneurship Program for Veterans

About six months into his Whitman appointment, Haynie hit upon what a program could look like. His idea was to bring seriously wounded post-9/11 veterans to campus and help them become small business owners. “Here I am, an entrepreneurship professor,” he said. “I’m a veteran myself. It’s something I could do.”

He proposed the program to then-Whitman Dean Melvin Stith, a Vietnam veteran, and set one condition that the program would be free. Stith’s response: “Sure. Go raise the money.”

Haynie had never raised money before. Two months before the first program was set to launch, he had raised roughly $20,000 of the $120,000 he needed. It was at that time that he first met Martin J. Whitman, a University benefactor and the school’s namesake.

Whitman, a World War II veteran, wrote a check and covered the gap. “He made a point to me that has stuck with me now for 20 years,” Haynie said, “that this is an institution that gives people a chance when others would not.”

That first program, launched in 2007, became the : a three-phase curriculum combining 30 days of online business instruction, a nine-day residential at Whitman, and a year of mentorship.

More than 2,400 veterans have now graduated from EBV. Approximately 79% have started or continued to grow their own businesses, and 92% of those businesses remain in operation. The program expanded into a national consortium headquartered at Syracuse.

Inc. magazine named EBV one of the country’s 10 best entrepreneurship programs in 2011, the Department of the Army recognized it as a national best practice and in May 2013 CBS News’ “60 Minutes” spent nearly a month on campus following the work.

From Program to Institute

As EBV’s profile grew, letters from World War II veterans led Haynie to Syracuse’s own history. GIs who accepted Chancellor William Pearson Tolley’s 1944 open invitation had transformed the school from a 4,100-student regional college into a research university of nearly 18,000. Fast forward decades later, Haynie saw that no center in American higher education was systematically studying veterans’ and military families’ concerns.

�մǻ岹��’s is a national hub offering career, entrepreneurship and transition programs alongside research, policy analysis and community partnerships for service members, veterans and their families.

With initial funding he secured from JPMorgan Chase, the IVMF became the nation’s first interdisciplinary academic institute chartered to advance the policy, economic and wellness concerns of America’s veterans and military-connected families. Through partnerships with corporations, government agencies and nonprofits, it built new pathways for veterans transitioning to civilian life. More than 230,000 service members, veterans and military family members have participated in its programs.

Haynie served as the University’s vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation for more than a decade. He went on to chair the U.S. Secretary of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Employment, Training and Employer Outreach and to help lead long-term reform at Veterans Affairs. Time magazine named him one of 16 individuals working toward a more equal America in 2020, the same year he led the University’s COVID-19 response, which earned him the 2021 Chancellor’s Medal.

A Scholar and Teacher at Heart

Twenty years after he first arrived on campus, Haynie’s dedication to the Whitman School remains as strong as ever. In 2023, he was named the school’s executive dean. In that role, he provided strategic direction for Whitman’s Transformation 2030 plan, under which the school has risen in national rankings, strengthened its research profile and expanded experiential learning opportunities. Under his leadership, Whitman recently launched the in partnership with the .

“I’ve had the rare opportunity to see Mike Haynie in action across nearly every layer of the University’s innovation ecosystem. What stands out is how deeply personal his commitment to entrepreneurship really is. Mike doesn’t just lead programs. He lives the work,” says Linda Dickerson Hartsock, founder and retired executive director of the University’s Blackstone Launchpad. “He understands the creative energy of startup ventures because he embodies those qualities himself.”

Hartsock says Haynie’s connection to students really defines him. “As a mentor, he has been instrumental to some of our most promising student and alumni startups,” she says. “He has a way of pushing founders to think bigger while grounding them in disciplined execution.”

A Chancellor Formed by His Work

Haynie’s appointment as Syracuse’s 13th chancellor was the natural extension of what his scholarship had always done: identify a problem, build something real in response and grow it.

At the fireside chat, Haynie was asked what excites him most about what lies ahead for the University. His answer was characteristically direct: the same conditions that challenge higher education—declining enrollment, eroding public trust and the disruption brought by AI—are also the conditions that create the most opportunity for institutions willing to respond with speed and imagination.

“If we do that well and do that quickly,” he said, “we can thrive relative to our peers.”

wasn’t supposed to be the one standing at the podium in the JMA Wireless Dome on Sunday, May 10. And he said so.

Haynie opened Syracuse University’s Class of 2026 Commencement with a solemn moment, noting that his tenure as the University’s 13th chancellor and president was officially set to begin the following day. The man who had earned the right to preside over this ceremony was not there to do it.

“It is Chancellor Kent Syverud who should be here today,” Haynie said. “He earned this moment.”

Chancellor Syverud, who led the University for 12 years, recently disclosed his brain cancer diagnosis and is currently undergoing treatment in Michigan. Haynie asked those assembled to join him in wishing the outgoing Chancellor well. He acknowledged Dr. Ruth Chen, Chancellor Syverud’s wife, who traveled to Syracuse to accept an honorary degree.

In celebrating the graduates, Haynie acknowledged their families and loved ones and the University’s faculty and staff who supported the students through their Syracuse journeys.

“While the achievements we celebrate here today are those of our graduates, those achievements were made possible because of you. Thank you,” Haynie said.

“To every person who played a role in getting these graduates to this moment, whether you coached them, counseled them or simply loved them, thank you for being here,” Haynie said. “This day belongs to you as well.”

A Class That Persisted and Showed Up

Haynie then turned his attention to the graduates.

“You are taking your place in a world that many describe as uncertain and divided and sometimes even unkind,” he said. “And they’re not wrong. But here’s what those people don’t fully appreciate: you’ve been here before.”

The Class of 2026 had their high school years deeply affected by a global pandemic that canceled their proms, upended their routines and rewrote the world they thought they were growing up into. They arrived at Syracuse amid political polarization, economic volatility and international conflict.

And yet, Haynie said, they did not collapse. They adapted and persisted.

“When things got hard, you didn’t retreat, you recalibrated, you found a way. You carry something no generation before you has quite mastered and that is a fierce authenticity and uncompromising demand for honesty, for inclusion and the rare willingness not to just call things out for what they are, but to roll up your sleeves and play a role in fixing them,” Haynie said.

The Class of 2026 is uniquely built for the moment they’re entering. While industries debate artificial intelligence and digital transformation, he said, these graduates are already fluent. They set the curve rather than chasing it.

Haynie encouraged them not to coast on that advantage. “Wherever you go next—a workplace, a graduate program, a studio, a community, a stage that the world has not even built yet—make it better than you found it. Don’t lower the bar. Raise it.”

Haynie told the graduates that when someone tells them they can’t, they won’t or they never will, remind them where they came from. Remind them what house built them.

He asked the crowd what color that house is painted. And the response, of course, “Orange!”

“I love Syracuse University.” In this video, Chancellor-elect J. Michael Haynie reflects on his nearly 20 years at the University, his commitment to every member of the Orange family and what he’s ready to build together.

On the morning of March 3, members of the Syracuse University community gathered in the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building—a building that itself stands as a testament to J. Michael Haynie’s impact on the University—to celebrate Haynie’s appointment as the University’s 13th chancellor and president.

The official announcement, made by Board of Trustees Chairman Jeffrey M. Scruggs, was met with a standing ovation. Haynie, who has been a member of the University community for nearly 20 years, will assume his new responsibilities on July 1.

Search Committee Co-Chair Elisabeth “Lisa” Fontenelli ’86; Student Government Association President German Alejandro Nolivos ’26, who was also a search committee member; and Scruggs each addressed the crowd before Haynie took the podium.

In his first remarks as chancellor-elect, Haynie was direct and personal: “I do love Syracuse University. I love this community, I love our people and I am so proud and so ready to serve as your 13th chancellor and president.”

Haynie currently serves as vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive dean of the . He is the founder and executive director of the and a 14-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. In 2021, he received the University’s highest honor, the Chancellor’s Medal.

Browse photos from the announcement celebration, below.

The Syracuse University Board of Trustees today announced the appointment of J. Michael Haynie as the 13th chancellor and president of Syracuse University. Haynie, who currently serves as vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive dean of the , will assume his new responsibilities on July 1. Today’s announcement follows a recommendation of the search committee and a unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees, where members affirmed the unanimous recommendations of the Board’s Executive Committee.

“Few people have demonstrated a deeper commitment to Syracuse University than Mike Haynie, and he is exceptionally well-positioned to carry it forward with the dedication and vision this moment demands,” says Jeff Scruggs, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “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.”

Haynie has been a member of the Syracuse University community for more than two decades and a senior member of the University’s leadership team for more than 10 years, including in his current role as vice chancellor and executive dean of the Whitman School. He is the founder and executive director of the , the nation’s first interdisciplinary academic institute chartered to advance the policy, economic and wellness concerns of America’s veterans and military-connected families. In 2018, he was named University Professor, the most senior and selective academic distinction awarded to Syracuse University faculty, and in 2021, Haynie received Syracuse University’s highest honor, the Chancellor’s Medal, for his leadership of the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“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,” says Haynie. “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. 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. 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.”

A Search Defined by Partnership and Shared Purpose

The search process launched following the announcement that Chancellor Kent Syverud would step down from his role at Syracuse University in June. It engaged the full spectrum of the Orange community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, local community members and elected officials, through listening sessions, a community survey and broad committee representation. At the heart of the search committee’s charge was ensuring the next leader remained focused on elevating the student experience and advancing the University’s academic mission.

“This was a search process defined by genuine partnership and shared purpose,” says Shelly L. Fisher ’80, co-chair of the search committee and member of the Board of Trustees. “Our community showed up with wisdom, generosity and a clear sense of what this university needs to thrive. Time and again, that guidance led us toward a leader with a proven record of impact here, an entrepreneurial spirit and a deep commitment to our students and academic mission. Mike Haynie embodies all of that and more.”

“Throughout the search process, amazing faculty, staff, students, alums, trustees, elected officials and community members generously shared their views on what they love about Syracuse University and what they hope for its future,” says Elisabeth “Lisa” Fontenelli ’86, co-chair of the search committee and member of the Board of Trustees. “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.”

A National Leader for Veterans and Military Families

Under Haynie’s leadership, Syracuse University has established itself as one of the premier destinations in American higher education for veterans and military-connected students. His vision and sustained commitment transformed a promising program into a nationally recognized ecosystem of support, opportunity and advocacy.

At the center of that transformation is the National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, a facility Haynie championed and helped bring to life on campus. A first-of-its-kind hub dedicated to veteran and military-connected student success, the NVRC offers comprehensive academic, wellness, career and community resources under one roof and has become a model for institutions across the country.

Haynie also oversaw significant growth in veteran and military-connected enrollment, making Syracuse a destination of choice for servicemembers, veterans and their families. That growth reflects both the strength of the University’s programs and the national reputation Haynie has built through research, advocacy and public service. The D’Aniello Institute has become a significant driver of the University’s research enterprise, producing scholarship that advances policy, economic and wellness outcomes for veterans and military families, contributing directly to Syracuse’s standing as an R1 research institution.

Central to that reputation is his work forging partnerships with corporations, government agencies and nonprofits to create new pathways for veterans and their families. Through the D’Aniello Institute, Haynie has collaborated with leading employers on veteran hiring initiatives, workforce transition programs and entrepreneurship pipelines, while working closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Labor to shape national policy.

The scope of that work brought Haynie to national attention. His approach to veteran support was featured in a “60 Minutes” profile in 2013, and in 2020, Time magazine named him one of 16 individuals working toward creating a more equal America.

A Record of Scholarship, Service and Leadership

A widely recognized scholar in the fields of entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy, Haynie has served on the editorial boards of the field’s most prestigious academic journals and as an appointee to the CNBC Disruptor 50 Council. His public service record is equally distinguished. In 2013, he was appointed chairman of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Federal Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Employment and Training, and in 2015, the White House appointed him vice chairman, and later chairman, of a presidential task force charged with setting the course for long-term reform at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Before joining the Syracuse University faculty, Haynie served for 14 years as an officer in the United States Air Force. He holds a Ph.D. in entrepreneurship and business strategy from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an MBA from the University of Oregon and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Delaware.

Haynie and his partner, Kevin, reside in Cazenovia with their two dogs.