SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The man who led the search committee to find a new dean of Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs has been selected for the position.
Syracuse recently announced that David Van Slyke will take over as Maxwell School dean on July 1. His appointment was approved unanimously by the university board of trustees’ executive committee.
Van Slyke is replacing James Steinberg, who announced last September that he would step down as dean of the Maxwell School at the end of the 2015-16 academic year. Steinberg, who has served as dean since 2011, will remain at Syracuse University and will continue to teach in the Maxwell School in his role as university professor of social science, international affairs, and law, according to a university news release.
The Maxwell School formed a search committee last fall, headed by Van Slyke, who currently serves as Maxwell’s associate dean and chair of the Department of Public Administration and International Affairs.
But the committee was not able to find a candidate that members could agree on.
“The search was suspended and the search committee was discharged on Friday, June 3. The dean search committee interviewed several finalists and, after much discussion with faculty, staff and students, it was apparent that no single finalist had earned the appropriate level of support,” a Syracuse University spokesman said in response to a BJNN inquiry.
Van Slyke, who earned dual tenure in the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences in 2007, holds the Louis A. Bantle chair in business-government policy. His academic focus has been on public and nonprofit management, government contracting, public-private partnerships, policy implementation, and strategic management, according to the release.
“David’s contributions to his department, the Maxwell School, and Syracuse University are extensive and impressive,” Chancellor Kent Syverud said in the release. “I appreciate David’s willingness to step up and lead the Maxwell School.”
Van Slyke has helped lead Maxwell School’s executive-education program and worked extensively with senior leaders in government, nonprofit, and business organizations in China, India, Peru, Singapore, Thailand, and many other countries, the school said. Van Slyke is a “leading international expert on public-private partnerships, public sector contracting and contract management, and policy implementation and has provided expert guidance to the Office of Management and Budget, the Government Accountability Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the World Bank,” the release stated. He previously worked in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.
Van Slyke earned a Ph.D. in public administration and policy from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany.
Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com
