I have always liked going to work on the Syracuse University campus. Engaging with students in classrooms and over coffee about significant intellectual and social issues of our times is stimulating, rewarding and educational. Conducting research on issues I care about is deeply satisfying. In the last four to five years, however, my view of Syracuse University has increased dramatically.

I have watched the efforts of the Chancellor and others to raise the quality of the university to another level. I have seen and participated in the development of a vision for the university that offers a significant identity and gives coherence to the work we do.

While ‘Scholarship in Action’ looks so different when it takes place in the fields of education, women’s studies, engineering or the history of fine arts, for example, it still engages the community in one way or another and it articulates the idea that scholarship is important to the world and has meaningful ramifications. Syracuse University currently seems an exciting place to be: opportunities and discussion are happening that emphasize that we are on the move. The vibrancy of our attention to difference is pronounced.

I think Chancellor Cantor has brought tremendous energy, vision and skills to her work that increases the value of Syracuse University for students and faculty. Students and faculty both benefit from a campus that will have a bigger endowment, and hence more to spend on academic life, increased reputation, and recognition for making education meaningful in the 21st century.

Just as former Chancellor Buzz Shaw brought recognition for a ‘student-centered research university,’ Chancellor Cantor has envisioned scholarship in action that connects the university to the community, nation and world.

I was surprised to see the recent article in The Daily Orange suggesting that the review of the Chancellor was linked to her contract renewal or her salary. In my experience here, the review is part of ongoing feedback (a formative rather than summative evaluation) that chancellors always receive. I say, job well done.

Sari Knopp BiklenChair of Cultural Foundations of Education

Published on October 27, 2008 at 12:00 pm