Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw Records, 1971-2008

Summary

Creator:
Shaw, Kenneth A. (University chancellor)
Abstract:
Records of the office of Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw
Extent:
76 boxes and 2 packages (approximately 75.5 linear feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw Records,

Background

Scope and content:

The Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw Records comprise various materials which document Shaw and his administration at Syracuse University. The collection encompasses correspondence, travel files, subject files (including athletics), speeches, presentations, course materials, books, photographs, memorabilia, and reports. Please note that some files appear to overlap Chancellor Melvin A. Eggers' administration.

Biographical / historical:

Kenneth A. "Buzz" Shaw (1939 - ) was the tenth Chancellor of Syracuse University who served from 1991 to 2004. He received his bachelor's degree in social science at Illinois State University in 1961, master's degree in education at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 1963, and Ph.D. in sociology at Purdue University in 1966. After teaching high school history in Park Forest, Illinois from 1961 to 1963, Shaw went on to become an assistant to the president and sociology lecturer from 1966 to 1969 at Illinois State University. Shaw then served as a vice president of academic affairs at Towson State University (1969-1976), chancellor at Southern Illinois University System (1979-1986), and chancellor at the University of Wisconsin System (1986-1991).

Shaw was inaugurated Chancellor of Syracuse University on November 8, 1991. He dramatically improved the University's fiscal health by leading the University through a massive restructuring and restoring its financial footing. Seeking to transform Syracuse into a "student-centered research university," Shaw and his administration oversaw many other changes at the University. In 1995 Otto the Orange became the University's official mascot. In 2000 the Marilyn and Bill Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion was built, and the School of Social Work, the College for Human Development, and the College of Nursing merged to form the College of Human Services and Health Professions. In 2003 the University celebrated its first NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. That same year Donald E. Newhouse '51 announced the S.I. Newhouse Foundation's gift of $15 million toward the construction of Newhouse III, and the School of Management was named the Martin J. Whitman School of Management in honor of Martin J. Whitman '49, who had pledged one of the largest gifts made to the University. After his retirement as Chancellor in 2004, Shaw returned to the Whitman School of Management to teach leadership.

Shaw served as chair of the Commissioner's Advisory Council on Higher Education for the New York State Education Department and on the New York State Governor's Commission on Education Reform. He was a member of the boards of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Council on Independent Colleges and Universities and the American Council on Education. Shaw also served on the NCAA's Division I Board of Directors. Among his many writings on leadership and higher education, Shaw authored The Successful President: 'Buzzwords' on Leadership (1999) and The Intentional Leader (2005).

The recipient of eight honorary degrees, Shaw was accorded the Chief Executive Leadership award by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District II in 2004. In 2010, Syracuse University dedicated the Quad as the Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle, in recognition of his transformative role at Syracuse University. Shaw and his wife Mary Ann Shaw were awarded the Chancellor's medal in 2018.

Acquisition information:
Syracuse University's Office of the Chancellor transferred the bulk of these records to the University Archives between 1992 and 2015.
Processing information:

These records are not processed.

Arrangement:

The collection is unprocessed and remains in original order.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Office of the Chancellor records are restricted to the office of origin for 50 years. Requests to use restricted records must be obtained in writing from the office of origin.

Terms of access:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Preferred citation:

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw Records,

Location of this collection:
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries
Bird Library, Room 600
Syracuse, NY 13244, United States
Link to repository site
Contact:
315.443.2697
scrc@syr.edu