Mike Haynie News

[OrangeXtreme]

J. Michael Haynie Appointed 13th Chancellor and President of Syracuse University

The Air Force veteran, academic innovator, scholar and longtime University leader will succeed Chancellor Kent Syverud.

news.syr.edu

Mike Haynie selected as 13th chancellor of Syracuse University

Haynie currently serves as the university’s vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive dean of the Whitman School of Management, but will begin his new position at the end of the school year.

dailyorange.com

‘I will not let you down’: Haynie makes 1st remarks as SU chancellor-elect

“I want to hear from all of you, what's working. Where do we excel? Where do we need new investment?” SU Chancellor-elect Mike Haynie promised a near future of campus engagement during a Tuesday morning event announcing his appointment.

dailyorange.com

Chancellor-elect Mike Haynie affirms athletics commitment: ‘We’re all in’

SU Chancellor-elect Mike Haynie affirmed his support for SU Athletics and emphasized its significance during a Tuesday presser.

dailyorange.com

Syracuse University names Mike Haynie its 13th chancellor

The board of trustees decided to promote Haynie from within after a nationwide search.

www.syracuse.com

‘Right person at the right time’: What they’re saying about new Syracuse Chancellor Mike Haynie

SU's decision to promote Haynie to chancellor wins widespread praise.

www.syracuse.com

12 bosses in 156 years: A look back at all of Syracuse University’s chancellors

SU named Mike Haynie its 13th chancellor since the school's founding in 1870

www.syracuse.com

What does Syracuse’s new chancellor mean for SU sports? ‘We need to have top-tier athletics’

New Syracuse chancellor Mike Haynie said he considers sports to be a fundamental part of the school's business model.

www.syracuse.com

Jim Boeheim on new Syracuse chancellor: ‘He believes in athletics very much’

Mike Haynie was named SU's chancellor-elect on Tuesday, and will replace the outgoing Kent Syverud.

www.syracuse.com

Axe: Welcome to March Madness, a month that will transform the future of SU athletics

This month will bring a new leadership structure at the top of the Syracuse University and Syracuse athletics.

www.syracuse.com

 

[OrangeXtreme]

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TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2026

Dear Members of the Syracuse University Community:

Today is a great day to be Orange!

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, it is my profound honor and privilege to announce that J. Michael Haynie has been appointed the 13th chancellor and president of Syracuse University, effective July 1, 2026. The Board acted unanimously on the recommendation of the Executive Committee, a vote that reflects our full and collective confidence in the bright future this brings to Syracuse University.

The Board of Trustees will formally announce Chancellor-elect Haynie’s appointment at 10 a.m. Please join us via livestream to celebrate this moment with us.

From the very beginning, we were committed to a search defined by genuine community engagement. Hundreds of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the University showed up—in listening sessions, through a campuswide survey and in direct conversation—to help us understand what this institution needs at this moment in its history. What emerged was a portrait of a leader: someone who loves Syracuse University deeply, who understands what is possible here and who carries a bold, unwavering belief in what comes next.

I want to express my deep gratitude to our search committee co-chairs, Shelly L. Fisher ’80 and Elisabeth “Lisa” Fontenelli ’86. Shelly and Lisa approached this work with an extraordinary combination of diligence, wisdom and care. They built a process worthy of this university, attracted a high-caliber pool of candidates and led the committee with the kind of integrity that made every member of this community proud.

I am also grateful to every member of the search committee. You gave generously of your time and judgment at a critical juncture for this institution. The voices of your colleagues, classmates and peers that you helped to amplify throughout this process were essential. That input will continue to guide us as we move forward. Thank you.

Mike Haynie is, at his core, a scholar, an innovator, a builder and a leader. For more than two decades, he has poured himself into Syracuse’s academic community. He joined the Whitman School of Management in 2006 as a professor of entrepreneurship, earned the Barnes Professorship, was named University Professor—the highest academic honor the faculty can confer—and became executive dean of the Whitman School. He has built a reputation as one of the nation’s foremost researchers in entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy.

Mike’s work building the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families and the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building has established Syracuse University as the best place for veterans and Mike as a dedicated veterans advocate and thought leader.

What distinguishes Mike is not simply the length of his record, remarkable as it is. It is the spirit behind his achievements. He is entrepreneurial, courageous and deeply committed to the people this university exists to serve—our students, our faculty, our staff and the broader world we are here to improve. He does not speak about Syracuse University from the outside looking in. He speaks from inside it, with a love for this place that is bone-deep.

When Mike says that Syracuse University is home—and he has said exactly that—he means it. And today, we welcome him home in a new and historic way.

I am more optimistic about the future of this institution than I have ever been. We have the right leader, at the right moment, with the right foundation to build upon. Please join me in congratulating Chancellor-elect Mike Haynie and thanking him for his continued service to our great institution.

With gratitude and pride,

Jeff Scruggs
Chairman, Board of Trustees

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TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2026

Dear Orange Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni and Friends:

I am profoundly humbled, honored and deeply grateful, to have been selected to serve as Syracuse University’s 13th chancellor and president.

I want to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to the Board of Trustees, and to Board Chairman Jeff Scruggs, for the trust they have placed in me. I also want to thank the search committee co-chairs and every member of the committee for their dedication to a process that was thoughtful, thorough and worthy of this University. And to the many students, faculty, staff and alumni who gave your time, shared your voices and engaged with care and candor—thank you. Your investment in this process speaks volumes about who we are as an institution and as a community.

I also want to extend my gratitude to Chancellor Kent Syverud and Dr. Ruth Chen. Together, they have dedicated 12 years of their lives to Syracuse University, its mission and its people. They leave Syracuse better and stronger than when they found it and I hope to achieve the same outcome. I am forever grateful for Chancellor Syverud’s support, guidance and friendship.

Syracuse University and Central New York have been my home for nearly 20 years. I came here in 2006, drawn to this institution’s tradition of service, its distinctive character and what I describe today as our Orange spirit. Over these two decades, that spirit has challenged me and inspired me. It has also changed me. That is why this moment carries so much weight.

What’s next for me is not simply a new job. It’s a calling that cuts to the core of who I am and everything I value. I believe that the most meaningful roles are those defined not by what they offer you, but by what they ask of you. The chancellorship asks everything, and I am uniquely aware of the responsibility being conferred to my stewardship. I will honor that trust by committing all of me to advance our shared mission, to strengthen our community and to lead with integrity, courage and an unwavering faith in what we can achieve together.

Higher education stands at a defining inflection point, and Syracuse University must make consequential choices that will shape its future for generations to come. Yet I am profoundly optimistic, because I know this institution and the extraordinary people who bring it to life. I have witnessed the intellectual distinction and creative scholarship of our faculty. Each day, I experience the ambition, purpose and promise that our students bring to this campus. I deeply value the steadfast dedication of our staff, who form the backbone of this university’s excellence. I recognize, too, the enduring pride and loyalty of our alumni across the globe. Consequently, I am confident that when this community sets its course with clarity and conviction, we can navigate change and uncertainty and emerge better for the experience.

In the days and weeks ahead, I look forward to listening to our students, our faculty, our staff, our alumni and our neighbors in Central New York. My first obligation as Chancellor-elect is to earn your trust. What I can tell you now is this: I will show up. I will work hard. I will be a partner to anyone committed to advancing our shared purpose and priorities.

I will give everything I have to ensure that Syracuse University emerges from this moment stronger, more distinctive and more fully committed to the promise we make to every student who chooses to be part of this community.

I am honored beyond words. I am ready to get to work.

Go Orange!

J. Michael Haynie