Syracuse University was not the only school surprised to learn that Nancy Cantor would be the 11th chancellor.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students learned about her departure through an e-mail that was sent out upon her arrival in Syracuse.

‘Life is full of opportunities all the time, and this was the right thing for my family and me,’ Cantor said.

During her time at UIUC, Cantor accomplished a great deal. The school started 11 very extensive cross campus initiative groups that work with faculty and staff on a range of topics, from science to humanities, Cantor said. She is also very proud of what she has done with diversity on campus.

‘We intended to cover a full range of opportunities where the University of Illinois has great strengths,’ Cantor said.

A main theme for this year at UIUC was a commemoration to Brown v. Board of Education, the trial that disallowed segregation in schools 50 years ago.

‘She was well-known for being really big on diversifying the campus,’ said Elizabeth Walker, a freshman at UIUC. ‘She was also a big supporter of the Michigan University admissions process.’

Cantor also helped improve facilities, including a new science building, and the educational standards at UIUC. She also received support for the library on campus.

She said she felt it was very important to bring the campus together and make sure that everyone was comfortable.

‘I thought she was very down to earth for a person at her position,’ said Christina Sung, a freshman at UIUC. ‘I felt like if I ever needed to talk to her I could.’

Her time at UIUC has included both ups and downs. The state of Illinois is going through a tough budget time, she said.

‘Some of the work we want to do, including raising salaries and enhancing programs, has been constrained because of the budget,’ she said.

Robin Kaler, the interim associate chancellor for public affairs, said Cantor handled a tight budget well.

‘She managed to bring the university together and stay focused on the mission of the campus. She made sure that we didn’t stay in a holding pattern,’ Kaler said.

Cantor is known as a hard worker – sometimes too much so, Kaler said.

‘Her biggest struggle is saying ‘no’; she loves to participate,’ Kaler said. ‘It was not uncommon to see her in the office at 6 a.m. and have a full day, then attend a performance in the evening and top it off with a ball game. She is very committed.’

Still, Cantor participated in issues that angered some people. The biggest controversy during Cantor’s tenure had to do with the mascot, Chief Illiniwek, who supposedly represents a Native American chief of the Illini tribe.

Cantor wanted to abolish the chief as the mascot, but some students and alumni stand behind the icon.

‘He is a symbol of the university,’ said Mike Brossman, a sophomore at UIUC. ‘He honors the Illini tribe, unlike the Cleveland Indians or the Washington Redskins.’

John Gadau, a 1967 University College of Law graduate from UIUC, put billboards up around Urbana-Champaign and handed out buttons that read, ‘Retain the Chief, Return Cantor.’

Vanessa Faurie, the vice president of corporate communications at the University of Illinois Alumni Association said not all alumni shared similar views of Cantor.

‘It is hard to characterize more than a half-million alumni,’ Faurie said. ‘Some alumni feel very strongly about the chief and feel that Cantor is against the chief, and there are some alumni who think she is the best thing to happen to this campus.’

Other students agree with Cantor on the basis that the chief is an offensive figure.

‘The campus is really split on [the Chief issue]. I see the problem with it, and I’m personally kind of against it,’ Walker said.

Victoria Chen-Byerley, a junior at UIUC said she admired how Cantor dealt with the situation.

‘I never felt that her vision was changing,’ Chen-Byerley said. ‘She tried to address the issue.’

Cantor said it was a tough issue because of the strong feelings on each side, but she continues to hold her opinions of Chief Illiniwek.

‘[Nancy Cantor] is not afraid of controversy. She is a real leader. She is at the head of the pack,’ Kaler said. ‘Any time that someone is at the head, folks at the back don’t agree with her.’

Although Cantor does have her critics, she was mostly well-liked throughout UIUC.

‘The faculty had an ad in the paper talking about what a good job she had done (after she resigned),’ Kaler said.

Kaler sent the e-mail to UIUC students and faculty that announced Cantor was leaving and said her e-mail inbox was quickly filled with e-mails making comments such as ‘Say it isn’t so’ and ‘Syracuse is so lucky.’

‘It sucks that she’s leaving. I agree with her on many issues,’ Walker said.

Prior to coming to Syracuse, Cantor’s administrative positions included the department chair at Princeton University, dean of the graduate school and then provost and executive vice president at the University of Michigan, before going to UIUC.

‘She has the enthusiasm to make all this work,’ said Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw. ‘She has greatly emphasized a strategic planning of undergraduate education. I think in a relatively short time, she has earned the respect of the [Urbana-Champaign] community.’

Cantor is the first female chancellor in SU’s history, but Shaw said her gender had nothing to do with the selection.

‘The fact that she is a woman is very nice because it is the first time in our history,’ Shaw said. ‘I know it is safe to say that she was not picked because she was a woman. She was picked because the committee and the chairman of the board thought she was the strongest candidate. That’s what is most important to me.’

Shaw said once she takes over the position as chancellor, he will offer help when asked, but will not give unsolicited advice.

Born in New York City, Cantor is excited to be coming back to her home state of New York, and the transition will be made easier because UIUC has the same school colors as SU.

‘I certainly own lots of orange,’ Cantor said.

Published on February 10, 2004 at 12:00 pm