Commotion filled Hendricks Chapel on Thursday afternoon as conversations swirled regarding Syracuse University’s next chancellor, Kent Syverud.

But once 1 p.m. approached, the room fell silent with anticipation to hear the university’s new leader speak.

In his official speech to the SU community, Syverud stressed two words: “I’m in.”

“I’m in with all of you who have these loyalties and these hopes and these dreams. Like you, I’m committing everything I am and everything I have to this place,” Syverud said.

Early Thursday morning, Board of Trustees Chairman Richard Thompson announced in an official statement that Syverud would succeed Nancy Cantor as chancellor of Syracuse University. He will begin his tenure on Jan. 13, 2014.

Syverud is currently the dean of the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis.

In his speech Thursday, Syverud thanked the community for taking a chance on him and expressed his excitement to be the university’s next chancellor.

“Syracuse took a chance on me, and I have made the most of it,” he said. “That statement is a wonderful combination of humility and ambition.”

He specifically thanked Chancellor Cantor, Thompson and the SU community that brought him to his new position as chancellor.

Syverud talked about being born and raised in Upstate New York, near Rochester, and made references to buying groceries from Wegmans and drinking Genesee Cream Ale.

“It’s like a dream,” he said at a press conference following the announcement at Hendricks. “I’ve been pinching myself because you dream about a lot of things as a kid.

“You have no idea what a big deal SU was to me growing up for my family. It defined a lot of things, including education, college sports and spirit.”

Syverud said he still has a lot to learn from the school — including how to “bleed orange.” He said he hopes to learn about the school and city, as well as interact more with students to accomplish his future goals.

“My vision is to form a vision as promptly as I can, after I learn the place really well, and that requires talking to a lot of people,” he said. “All universities are unique and I want to make sure my vision for this place is uniquely based in what this place has been and what it can be.”

Along with Cantor, other prominent figures of the SU community also attended the event, including SU men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim, who said he was impressed by Syverud’s speech.

“I think if you look at his qualifications, he has every kind of qualification you could possibly ask for, and I’m very excited,” he said.

Allie Curtis, Student Association president, said she was moved when Syverud said SU had taken a chance on him.

“That was the part where I got the chills and I knew he was the absolute right choice for this university,” she said. “I think his speech, for anyone in this audience, really reaffirms what it means to bleed orange.”

Throughout the speech, Syverud made several jokes, some about his alma mater Georgetown University’s rivalry with SU, the pronunciation of his last name and the anticipated basketball game between Duke and Syracuse.

“Like many people with strange last names, I answer to any pronunciation. My family’s from Norway, and in Norway, it’s pronounced one way, and in the United States, it’s mangled a hundred ways. So it’s OK to mangle it,” he joked at the post-announcement press conference.

David Edelstein, a Board of Trustee member, said he sees Syverud’s sense of humor as a positive sign.

“I think it shows his sense of humility and shows he’s approachable,” he said. “I think it’s a good way to disarm people and show he’s an approachable man.”

Suresh Thiagarajan, an evangelical chaplain who has worked at SU for 31 years, said he’s met previous chancellors such as Melvin Eggers, Buzz Shaw and Cantor. He said he supports Syverud, adding that he has qualities of a great leader with a new vision for the school.

In his closing statement to the audience, Syverud expressed his gratitude toward the university’s support.

“Syracuse gets a chance whenever it selects a new chancellor. Today, I am truly honored that you have taken that chance on me,” he said. “I need to make the most of it, with your help with your advice, with your support, I will do that. I’m in, and I sure hope you are too.”

— Maggie Cregan, asst. copy editor, contributed reporting to this article.

Published on September 12, 2013 at 5:15 pm

Contact Alfred: alng@syr.edu

@alfredwkng