On one of the most important days of Kent Syverud’s career, he wishes his parents were there to see it.

They would be happy for him, he said, though his mother would be worried — she would be especially worried about the size of the house he just moved into.

“Janet Thatcher Syverud would be whispering in my ear right now, if she could, the following words: ‘Kent, this day is not about you. It’s about Syracuse University. And she would be so right,’” he said.

On Friday, Syverud was officially inaugurated as the 12th chancellor of Syracuse University. The inauguration day was filled with a chancellor Fun Run, academic symposium, the Fast Forward Student Showcase and ended with the inaugural ceremony held in Hendricks Chapel. At the ceremony, university leaders commented on how Syverud is the right man to lead the university, while the new chancellor spoke about SU entering a new era.

“I’ve been telling Kent Syverud that he should be a university president for more than 15 years, and he finally listened to me,” joked former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who has mentored Syverud since his days as her law clerk, at the ceremony.

She added that Syverud is a great match for university, and that everyone at SU has wonderful years ahead.

As O’Connor has watched Syverud throughout his career, his best and important qualities have not changed, she said. He is very intelligent, has wonderful values, he cares about people and can write and speak “exceedingly well.”

“He is going to serve you well, and make you proud. Syracuse University is a special place. I can tell by being here today that you all care about it, and you want it to be even better,” O’Connor said. “And I think you will find that Kent Syverud will help you achieve that. He’s a good listener, he’s a good doer and he always got the job done in my chambers. And he always had fun doing it.”

Renée Schine Crown, an SU life trustee, agreed that Syverud is the right person to lead the university. Crown recalled on the legacy of SU chancellors James Day and William Tolley, who at their respective times lead the university to new heights.

“Our 144 years of history are very much alive and with us today, as we begin, what I know, will be another exciting and rewarding chapter in our institutional story: the Syverud years,” she said. “On behalf of all of the trustees, alumni near and far, I extend my warmest congratulations and enthusiasm to Chancellor Syverud, the right leader, at the right time for Syracuse University.”

When it was Syverud’s turn to speak, he opened with two words: grace and humility. He said he was thankful to the university—and all of its components—and asked the crowd to take a moment of silence to remember those who have passed through the university.

But Syverud also asked for those in the community to remember the teachers, mentors and coaches who helped them get to Syracuse University, specifically those who pushed them to be better.

“I believe that all of our teachers would want us to believe in our university, and to aim higher for it,” he said. “Just as they believed in us and inspired us to aim high in our work and in our lives, I think they would want us to straighten our backs, and roll up our sleeves, and dig in and do our best, and never doubt that we and the university can be the best if we just keep at it.”

It’s currently a difficult time for the university, Syverud said, as challenges are coming from every direction and the expectations are even higher. He said he isn’t good at taking on these challenges if he aims “in all directions at the same time,” so he has to prioritize and make tough choices.

But when beginning to make those tough choices, Syverud said he gains inspiration from the university’s core values like the inscription on the ceiling of Hendricks Chapel: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

These sacred words call upon all people of all faiths to “pursue knowledge for its own sake and for the freedom it disposes,” Syverud said.

There are so many truths the university has known, he said, and has experienced in its history. He then quoted his favorite part of the U.S. Constitution: “No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States.”

“In this country, at its best, you do not inherit titles. You work for achievements; you should be judged by what you do, not by what your parents did. By definition, we are an unentitled nation,” he said. “And this school, I am deeply proud to say, has long been and hopefully forever will be a university that attracts unentitled people.

This is a university where people are willing to work hard to know the truth. This is not, and never has been, a school for those who view higher education as an accessory or a fashion statement, or a way to define one’s social status. This is a university where we are at our best. We are about knowledge and becoming our best.”

But SU, he said, isn’t about each individual. It’s about the community, both in the city of Syracuse and across the different colleges and departments. And because of this, the university’s goal to aim higher should not be based on one slogan, idea or chancellor, but instead by the work of the entire university community.

In order to aim higher, Syverud suggested four points which he hopes will start a dialogue about how the university can continue to thrive.

Going forward, Syverud hopes to enhance the undergraduate education and experience; empower research excellence at SU; embrace change at the university and take risks; and once again become the best place for veterans to gain a college education and be given opportunities.

If the university can integrate these ideas over the next 10 years, Syverud said he believes SU can become an even better university.

“Remembering all of our teachers, remembering all of those who came before us at Syracuse, the great cloud of witnesses, let us now run with perseverance in the race that is set before us,” Syverud said. “Like this inauguration, this race is not about me. It is about Syracuse University. And Syracuse University is not about you. It’s about the pursuit of truth. It’s about the greatness the pursuit of truth can unleash in you, in our friends, in our communities and in our world.”

Published on April 11, 2014 at 8:50 pm

Contact Meredith: mhnewman@syr.edu | @MerNewman93