Highlights
The Shaw Era

1991
Core Values
Kenneth A. “Buzz” Shaw, former president of the University of Wisconsin System, becomes Syracuse University’s 10th Chancellor and President. Shaw’s first initiative is to lead the SU community in redefining the institution’s mission and vision. He articulates five guiding institutional core values: quality, caring, diversity, innovation, and service, which form the basis for the University’s new quest to become the nation’s leading student-centered research university. A new paradigm is created that makes student learning the University’s highest priority.

1992
Student-Centered Research
Shaw introduces a major plan to improve faculty roles and rewards. Thirty-three initiatives are laid out to help create a more learning- and student-centered culture based on the core values. “Here’s what I envision we will be like four years from now....We will be a student-centered research university. Our focus on teaching and excellence will be clearly apparent.

—Shaw in his February
address to the University

Restructuring and Recovery
Restructuring of the University begins to take shape. Six-hundred staff and faculty positions are eliminated, allowing the University to recover from a deficit and prepare for an economic downturn that occurs just as student enrollment is reaching record-low percentages nationally. “Back in Wisconsin they make a lot of sausage. Even with the most carefully chosen and healthy ingredients…sausage making is an ugly process to witness. But after all the slicing, chopping, blood, and gore, the end process can be delicious, nutritious, and of remarkable quality.”

—Shaw on the restructuring process, quoted in the Syracuse Herald American

1994
Service Learning
The Center for Public and Community Service is established to promote volunteer service as a fundamental part of the student learning experience. “This is integral to what we do as a university, and it comes at a time when the country is renewing its efforts to involve young people in service to the nation.”

Steve Sartori Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw talks with a student in Hendricks Chapel.

Steve Sartori U.S. Congressman James Walsh, center, discusses part of the Marshall Street renovation with the Chancellor and Mary Ann Shaw.

Shaw has led the way in improving Syracuse University since 1991, when he became SU’s 10th Chancellor and President. At the time, the University faced a $38 million budget deficit and enrollment challenges. “What appealed to me about Syracuse was, first of all, it’s a distinguished school. Secondly, it had a number of financial problems that, if ameliorated, could result in even better things happening, and if not dealt with, could become a serious problem,” he says. “I was presented with an institution with a great deal of stature that was sure of its values, but needed some changes. Syracuse had all the ingredients to get much better. And that’s the kind of place I’ve always liked to go to—a place that is a challenge, but not an impossibility.”

Three months into his term, Shaw—then a 14-year veteran chief executive in higher education—addressed the situation head-on, asking the University community to support an ambitious plan to refocus SU on its strengths and promote student learning in new ways. “I thought it was important, first, that the University community be reminded of what its values have been,” Shaw says. He articulated SU’s core values of quality, caring, diversity, innovation, and service, embracing them as the defining characteristics that form the institution’s foundation. “Values push you to continually improve, and to do it in ways that enhance those values,” he says. “These are our values, and they guide us today, just as they did 13 years ago. We’ve improved in every one of them, but we should always be trying to do better.”

From the beginning, Shaw established an open atmosphere regarding the University’s financial situation. “The conditions were not crisis-like in dimension at all,” he says. “But we had problems that, if not dealt with, could lead to a disaster. People needed to know that. And they needed to know there was no immediate, painless fix.” A series of forums was held to share the specifics of SU’s challenges and invite input from the campus community. “I felt that transparency was necessary regarding our financial problems,” Shaw says. “People were going to be asked to make sacrifices, and if they didn’t know what the conditions were, it wouldn’t be fair to them. I helped to publicly shape the problem, and provided a means by which people could express their views.”

Steve Sartori Chancellor Shaw poses for photographs with graduates on the steps of Hendricks Chapel, a Commencement tradition for him.

Louis Marcoccia ’68, G’69, senior vice president for business, finance, and administrative services and a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet, commends Shaw’s commitment to obtaining feedback from the University’s constituencies. “His approach has been to have concepts and related guidelines identified that best support the institution’s priorities, and to allow for sufficient discussion to occur to achieve acceptance of those concepts,” Marcoccia says. “Most importantly, he understands and communicates the need for financial discipline and planning, and their roles in successfully leading the University.” As a result of Shaw’s leadership and clearly defined institutional goals, SU not only recovered from its financial difficulties, but also made strides toward its vision of becoming the nation’s leading student-centered research university. Syracuse is one of few higher education institutions to have improved nearly every facet of campus life during challenging economic times, even as the University faced budget cuts of more than $60 million and the loss of 600 jobs. In the early ’90s, Shaw resisted the trend to lower admissions standards to boost enrollment. Instead, he led the University through an institutional restructuring that reduced enrollment, strengthened the educational program by providing greater attention to student needs, and brought a renewed emphasis to teaching.

“Chancellor Shaw has the requisite traits of authentic leadership,” says Barry L. Wells, senior vice president and dean of student affairs. “He’s visionary, a risk taker, and action oriented, and is guided by purpose, values, and integrity.” Wells, who has worked closely with Shaw as a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet, describes him as a strategic thinker who has exceptional analytical skills and an amazing ability to identify and implement solutions. “He has a unique style that commands respect, yet at the same time puts people at ease and allows them to share their ideas and opinions freely,” Wells says.
Today, the University is stronger than ever—both academically and financially. The learning environment has been revitalized, facility and technology improvements abound, student services are more responsive, and SU has a greater national presence than ever before. Shaw’s leadership has been crucial to all these achievements. “Buzz Shaw is one of a handful of absolutely first-class leaders in higher education,” says University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala G’70, who served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison when Shaw was president of the University of Wisconsin System. “He is a skilled manager and a national leader who has demonstrated his commitment to excellence.”

Steve Sartori The Chancellor has fun with members of the football team in the locker room. He often composed humorous poems for the team and read them after a victory at the Carrier Dome.

Shaw’s executive abilities extend beyond the SU campus. He has assumed an active leadership role with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, chairing both the basketball issues committee and the Division I board of directors. He also chairs the Commissioner’s Advisory Council on Higher Education for the New York State Education Department, serves on the board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and is a member of the Council on Competitiveness and the TIAA-CREF Hesburgh award jury. His book, The Successful President: “Buzzwords” on Leadership, was published in 1999 and became a top seller in the American Council on Education/Oryx Press Series on Higher Education. “For me, it’s important to know I’ve made a difference—or at least tried to—in the lives of the people closest to me and the people I work with, as well as in the community and the world I live in,” says Shaw, who counts loyalty, honesty, and trusting others among his own core values. “And that’s all good. But if you really believe you’re going to make a difference, you have to be willing to spend the time. You’ve got to make more than a regular commitment, or all you’ll get is regular results.”

Steve Sartori The Shaws are partners at work and at home.

A Well-Matched Team
Before coming to Syracuse, Shaw was president of the University of Wisconsin System (1986-91). He also has served as chancellor of the Southern Illinois University System (1979-86), president of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (1977-79), and vice president for academic affairs and dean of Towson State University in Maryland (1969-77). “Each of those encounters provided me with great teachers and formative experiences,” Shaw says. “But I think one of the biggest contributions to whatever successes I’ve had is my willingness to take professional risks. Any philosophy I have today is a result of the risks I took and the successes and failures I experienced.”

Of all the life events and relationships that helped make Shaw who he is, he was perhaps most profoundly affected by his 42-year relationship with his wife, Mary Ann, who has worked side-by-side with him at SU in her role as associate of the Chancellor (see “Rewarding Partnership,” bottom of this page). “I think any time a person can have a close, intimate, long-term relationship with someone else, he grows from it,” Shaw says. “And ours has been just that. You can’t help but influence each other a great deal.”

Steve Sartori The Shaws meet with a family during Opening Weekend 2002.

Throughout their partnership, Mary Ann has supported him in embracing new professional opportunities—simultaneously pursuing her own education and career—even when doing so uprooted their family and provided no guarantees. “Her earliest contribution came at a pivotal time,” Shaw says. He was 29 years old, had a Ph.D. degree from Purdue, and was working at Illinois State University as an assistant to the president. “I loved the place, greatly respected the president, and thought I’d probably stay there forever doing 75 percent mundane jobs—and maybe once in a while something really substantive,” he says. Just after their third child was born, Shaw received a call from Jim Fisher, a respected former colleague who was the new president at Towson State. He offered Shaw a temporary position as acting vice president for academic affairs, but couldn’t promise it would become permanent. Still, Fisher encouraged Shaw to accept, expressing great faith in his blossoming leadership abilities. “I talked to Mary Ann, who was, of course, feeding the baby, and asked her what she thought. She said, without hesitation, ‘I think we should go,’” Shaw recalls. “So we sold our house, hopped in our Ford Falcon with the three kids—one who cried the whole way—and drove across the country to Maryland. And that wasn’t the last time Mary Ann allowed me to take risks.”
Mary Ann Shaw expresses equal respect for her husband and their partnership. “He is my best friend, and always has been,” she says. “I think we really do depend on each other and inspire each other.” She admires his ability to bring out the best in people, whether in professional relationships, friendships, or as a father. “He’s very accepting of others, but also very encouraging and motivating,” she says. “He’s always supportive of people wanting to spread their wings and take up new opportunities. And he has outstanding judgment.”

Steve Sartori Chancellor Shaw gives a donation to students collecting contributions for Dollar Day at the Dome, a fund-raiser for United Way.

Eleanor Ware G’85, SU’s senior vice president for human services and government relations, has worked closely with the Shaws throughout their years at the University. A member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet and secretary to the Board of Trustees, Ware respects the Chancellor as a highly skilled, multifaceted leader with a gift for understanding and assessing people and situations and resolving problems. “Buzz and Mary Ann are the perfect team for heading a university like Syracuse, and their contributions to University life are evident everywhere,” she says. “They demonstrate their caring and service through the countless hours they give to hundreds of events at their home, on campus, at Lubin and Greenberg houses, and across the country. They have also demonstrated their interest in the welfare of faculty and staff by establishing more family-friendly benefits and workplace policies.” Ware believes the Shaws have significantly changed SU’s environment and culture. “It’s a more welcoming place, and its processes are handled in a more open and collaborative manner,” she says. “The University has come to reflect their genuine warmth and graciousness.”

Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement John D. Sellars is also impressed by the powerful partnership shared by the Chancellor and Mary Ann Shaw. “They complement and balance each other and make a beautiful team,” says Sellars, a Chancellor’s Cabinet member who worked for three other college presidents before coming to Syracuse in 2001. He says the Shaws share a genuine respect for people that forms a strong foundation for all they do. “At heart, they are humanitarians,” he says. “So when Buzz talks about topics like diversity, it isn’t because it’s the popular thing to do. It’s because it is the right thing to do—the caring thing. That’s a solid platform from which to lead a university.”

According to their three children—all married with kids of their own and living in the Midwest—the Shaws have been as successful at family life as they have been in professional life. “I am tremendously proud of them,” says son Ken Shaw, an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Accountancy. “While they have achieved so much, they have also embraced a strong and unwavering commitment to family. I doubt any of us kids realized my father had a stressful job. He never dwelled on work while at home. Instead, he was an enthusiastic participant in all our activities. He coached all our teams, played every sport imaginable with us, and made us pancakes for dinner on nights my mom had class.” Daughters Susan Gleason and Sara Shaw Buffett echo their brother’s comments, referring to their parents as “amazing” and describing their home as one that was always graced with love, encouragement, and fun. “Growing up, our home was a happy retreat filled with warmth and humor,” Gleason says. A representative of the youngest generation in the Shaw family also offers up some words of admiration about her grandparents: At her elementary school in a Chicago suburb, 7-year-old Aly Buffett is learning about the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. “Nana and Pappy are the six pillars—for sure!” she says.

Mike Okoniewski, SU Athletics Chancellor Shaw fields a question from ESPN reporter Greg Roberts during halftime of a football game at the Carrier Dome.

Steve Sartori Board of Trustees Chair-Elect John A. Couri ’63, left, Chair Joseph O. Lampe ’53, G’55, second from right, and Chancellor Shaw welcome Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb ’99 to the Board of Trustees.

After Shaw steps down, he will take a year’s sabbatical to prepare a series of lectures on leadership (see “Defining Leadership,” bottom of this page). He will then return to campus to teach and assume other responsibilities assigned to him by the new Chancellor and the Board of Trustees. “The desire to try something different has defined my life,” he says. “I knew I had to retire sometime, and I wanted to do it while I still had a lot of enthusiasm, and before I was worn out from being Chancellor, so I could try something new and enjoy more time with my family.” Shaw also looks forward to a continued commitment to Syracuse and Central New York. “Mary Ann and I feel as if we’re natives of the area,” he says. “We’ve lived in a lot of different places and traveled a lot, but there is something very appealing about Syracuse that reminds me of the Midwest. The people are friendly, they work hard, love their families, and love the institutions they work for. There is also a kind of East Coast interest in culture, the arts, and ideas, which makes it all the more appealing. We have felt welcome here.”

Shaw celebrates SU’s successes, but won’t take personal credit for the improvements that have occurred during his tenure—attributing them instead to the entire University community. “We’ve done a lot of good things together,” he says. “We’re more focused, we’re more student-centered, and we’re more able to deal with the challenges that come before us. I’m really proud and grateful that I had a chance to be a part of it. But it has been ‘us,’ not ‘me,’ that made it all happen.”

Just as the institution has evolved during Shaw’s time here, the Chancellor himself has been changed by the experience. “I’m older, for one thing,” he says. “I’ve noticed, anyway, that a lot of other people around me are older than they were 13 years ago, so I have to assume that I’m older, too!” Shaw also believes he’s more at peace with himself, more self-confident, and better able to trust his instincts than when he was younger. “But I don’t think my values have changed all that much. I’m probably not much different than I was at 18, really, except I hope I’m a little smarter,” he says. “At the end of all this is the gratitude I feel for being here, for now having the opportunity to teach, and for being blessed with a good marriage, good children, and good health. I have a lot to be thankful for.”

Beyond that, he offers a few words of advice to his successor, saying simply this: Take the job seriously, but have fun. “Make a strong commitment,” he says, “and love the place.” For Shaw, that approach has proven to be a winning formula, and it’s advice straight from the heart. For more information on Chancellor Shaw, go to http://whitman.syr.edu/shaw.