Kent Syverud

Kent Syverud
Chancellor and President of Syracuse University
Incumbent
Assumed office January 13, 2014
Preceded by	Nancy Cantor
Dean of Washington University School of Law
In office 2005–2014
Dean of Vanderbilt University Law School
In office 1997–2005
Personal details
Spouse(s)	Dr. Ruth Chen
Children	3
Alma mater	Georgetown University (B.A.) University of Michigan (J.D., M.A.)
Profession	Lawyer

Kent Syverud is an American legal scholar. He is the 12th Chancellor of Syracuse University, commencing his term of office on January 13, 2014.

Education and early career

Syverud earned a bachelor's degree magna cum laude from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1977, a law degree magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 1981, and a master's degree in economics from the University of Michigan in 1983. After graduating from law school, Syverud clerked for U.S. District Judge Louis F. Oberdorfer, and then for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor during the October 1984 term. Later, in private practice, Syverud was an associate at the Washington, D.C., law firm of WilmerHale.

Professor of law

From 1987 to 1997, Syverud taught complex litigation, insurance law, and civil procedure at Vanderbilt University and at the University of Michigan Law School. Syverud served as Dean of the Vanderbilt University Law School from 1997 to 2005, where he was the Garner Anthony Professor of Law. He became dean of the Washington University School of Law and the Ethan A. H. Shepley University Professor in 2005. Syverud has been a Visiting Professor at the Cornell Law School, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law and Politics.

Syverud's scholarly work focuses on legal education, complex litigation, insurance, and civil procedure. He is the author of numerous articles on these subjects and is a former editor of the Journal of Legal Education.

University president

On September 12, 2013, he was named the 12th Chancellor and President of Syracuse University, succeeding Nancy Cantor.

Public service

In August 2010, Syverud was appointed Independent Trustee, with Judge John Martin, of the $20 billion British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust.

In 2012, Syverud was chair-elect of the Council of the American Bar Association’s Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Further reading

• Brief Discussion by Vanderbilt University About Their Former Deans

Academic offices
Preceded by Nancy Cantor	Chancellor of Syracuse University 2014–present	Incumbent