Your editorial that appeared regarding the University Senate review of Chancellor Cantor and her contract distorted the facts and contained inaccuracies. As chairman of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees, I want to set the record straight. Your statement that ‘…The (Senate) evaluation was supposed to be the first step before the Syracuse University Board of Trustees officially decided whether to renew Cantor’s contract’ is simply false.

The University Senate review process is not at all connected to the contract renewal process for the Chancellor. The Board of Trustees is the sole governing body of the University, and we annually review the chancellor’s performance, compensation and contract status – a responsibility we take very seriously.

Separate and apart from that process, University Senate bylaws require a review of the chancellor’s work to occur every five years. We welcome this review and see it as very important, but it is not practical to link it to the Board’s review process because our process occurs annually. I indicated to the Senate review committee last fall that the Board will take into consideration the Senate review during our annual chancellor review process that occurs in June and will continue referencing and monitoring the findings until the next survey occurs.

Further, it should be noted that Chancellor Cantor did not ask for her contract to be renewed. In fact, the Board proactively sought a contract extension with her, with the goal of keeping her at SU for the long term. Although her contract was extended, the terms for release from the contract are exactly the same as they were under her original contract. As such, the contract renewal does not make the University Senate review moot, nor does it diminish the Board’s ability to act with regard to the chancellor.

The Board is proud of Chancellor Cantor’s leadership and vision. She has encouraged students, faculty and staff to leverage SU’s historic strengths, foster innovation and creativity, and connect us in profound ways with the world – all of which have increased our quality and visibility. We look forward to receiving and reviewing the Senate report.

John Chapple

Chairman, Syracuse University Board of Trustees

Published on March 1, 2009 at 12:00 pm