The Air Force veteran, academic innovator, scholar and longtime University leader will succeed Chancellor Kent Syverud.
SYRACUSE, NY, UNITED STATES, March 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Syracuse University Board of Trustees today announced the appointment of J. Michael Haynie as the 13th chancellor and president of Syracuse University. Haynie, who currently serves as vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, will assume his new responsibilities on July 1. Today’s announcement follows a recommendation of the search committee and a unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees, where members affirmed the unanimous recommendations of the Board’s Executive Committee.
“Few people have demonstrated a deeper commitment to Syracuse University than Mike Haynie, and he is exceptionally well-positioned to carry it forward with the dedication and vision this moment demands,” says Jeff Scruggs, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “For more than two decades, he has poured himself into this institution, expanding its reach, deepening its impact and championing the students and communities it exists to serve. His record of leadership is extraordinary, and the Board has great confidence in the future of Syracuse University. We are proud to welcome him as our 13th chancellor and president.”
Haynie has been a member of the Syracuse University community for more than two decades and a senior member of the University’s leadership team for more than 10 years, including in his current role as vice chancellor and executive dean of the Whitman School. He is the founder and executive director of the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families, the nation’s first interdisciplinary academic institute chartered to advance the policy, economic and wellness concerns of America’s veterans and military-connected families. In 2018, he was named University Professor, the most senior and selective academic distinction awarded to Syracuse University faculty, and in 2021, Haynie received Syracuse University’s highest honor, the Chancellor’s Medal, for his leadership of the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Syracuse University is not just an institution to me. It is home. It is a community that has shaped me, challenged me and gave me the privilege of doing the most meaningful work of my life,” says Haynie. “I am humbled and energized by the trust this community has placed in me, and I carry that trust as both an honor and a responsibility. The foundation we stand on is strong. Our best days are ahead, and I’m ready to get to work alongside our remarkable students, world-class faculty and passionate alumni in service to our highest purpose—academic excellence. Working together we will ensure Syracuse University remains a place where great ideas catch fire, where students discover their purpose and where bold ambition is matched by an equally bold commitment to the world beyond our walls.”
A Search Defined by Partnership and Shared Purpose
The search process launched following the announcement that Chancellor Kent Syverud would step down from his role at Syracuse University in June. It engaged the full spectrum of the Orange community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, local community members and elected officials, through listening sessions, a community survey and broad committee representation. At the heart of the search committee’s charge was ensuring the next leader remained focused on elevating the student experience and advancing the University’s academic mission.
“This was a search process defined by genuine partnership and shared purpose,” says Shelly L. Fisher ’80, co-chair of the search committee and member of the Board of Trustees. “Our community showed up with wisdom, generosity and a clear sense of what this university needs to thrive. Time and again, that guidance led us toward a leader with a proven record of impact here, an entrepreneurial spirit and a deep commitment to our students and academic mission. Mike Haynie embodies all of that and more.”
“Throughout the search process, amazing faculty, staff, students, alums, trustees, elected officials and community members generously shared their views on what they love about Syracuse University and what they hope for its future,” says Elisabeth “Lisa” Fontenelli ’86, co-chair of the search committee and member of the Board of Trustees. “From those conversations, a portrait emerged of a leader who would dedicate themselves to our mission, our people and our future, who would sustain tradition as well as create and transform, whose entrepreneurial instincts and decisive leadership will help Syracuse University to navigate the challenges and realize the opportunities of this moment. Mike Haynie is that leader. We are confident he will carry this institution forward with distinction.”
A National Leader for Veterans and Military Families
Under Haynie’s leadership, Syracuse University has established itself as one of the premier destinations in American higher education for veterans and military-connected students. His vision and sustained commitment transformed a promising program into a nationally recognized ecosystem of support, opportunity and advocacy.
At the center of that transformation is the National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, a facility Haynie championed and helped bring to life on campus. A first-of-its-kind hub dedicated to veteran and military-connected student success, the NVRC offers comprehensive academic, wellness, career and community resources under one roof and has become a model for institutions across the country.
Haynie also oversaw significant growth in veteran and military-connected enrollment, making Syracuse a destination of choice for servicemembers, veterans and their families. That growth reflects both the strength of the University’s programs and the national reputation Haynie has built through research, advocacy and public service. The D’Aniello Institute has become a significant driver of the University’s research enterprise, producing scholarship that advances policy, economic and wellness outcomes for veterans and military families, contributing directly to Syracuse’s standing as an R1 research institution.
Central to that reputation is his work forging partnerships with corporations, government agencies and nonprofits to create new pathways for veterans and their families. Through the D’Aniello Institute, Haynie has collaborated with leading employers on veteran hiring initiatives, workforce transition programs and entrepreneurship pipelines, while working closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Labor to shape national policy.
The scope of that work brought Haynie to national attention. His approach to veteran support was featured in a “60 Minutes” profile in 2013, and in 2020, Time magazine named him one of 16 individuals working toward creating a more equal America.
A Record of Scholarship, Service and Leadership
A widely recognized scholar in the fields of entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy, Haynie has served on the editorial boards of the field’s most prestigious academic journals and as an appointee to the CNBC Disruptor 50 Council. His public service record is equally distinguished. In 2013, he was appointed chairman of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Federal Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Employment and Training, and in 2015, the White House appointed him vice chairman, and later chairman, of a presidential task force charged with setting the course for long-term reform at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Before joining the Syracuse University faculty, Haynie served for 14 years as an officer in the United States Air Force. He holds a Ph.D. in entrepreneurship and business strategy from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an MBA from the University of Oregon and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Delaware.
Haynie and his partner, Kevin, reside in Cazenovia with their two dogs.
Ellen James Mbuqe
Syracuse University
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