Syracuse University Board of Trustees Chairman Richard Thompson will step down in May when his term ends.

Thompson’s leave was planned by the university, said Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs. He will likely receive an honorary degree as per tradition for nearly a century, Quinn said.

Historically, chairmen leaving the university receive honorary degrees. Quinn said the university has honored this tradition dating back to H.W. Smith, who took office in 1922. He said he could not say if Thompson has officially been awarded the degree yet, but that he expects SU will announce all recipients “very soon.”

University Senators first saw the list of honorary degree candidates during a closed session at a March 18 meeting. Nominees are considered based on outstanding achievements, their resume and letters from other members of the university community, said Christian Day, chair of the University Senate Committee on Honorary Degrees. The list of nominees is kept confidential until each person accepts, he added.

After the Committee on Honorary Degrees receives nominations, the list is given to the Senate for approval. The chancellor and the Board of Trustees then choose from the slate of candidates, and the recipients receive their degrees at that year’s commencement ceremony, Day said.

“We really try to bring in people who are really worthy,” Day said.

A chairman’s average term lasts three to four years, said Samuel Gorovitz, a philosophy professor and former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

“Very few trustees receive honorary degrees,” Gorovitz said. “The tradition has been for outgoing Board chairmen to receive them.”

Both Gorovitz and Day declined to comment about ongoing honorary degree nominations.

When Thompson’s nomination came up in the closed session, a voice vote was used to determine if he would be approved to receive the honorary degree. Many senators abstained from voting, while a significant number opposed the nomination, according to three senators, who asked to remain unnamed due to nominations being private.

Chancellor Kent Syverud voiced to the Senate that they should consider Thompson’s vast experience and relationship with SU, rather than just the last three years, senators said.

Thompson was elected to the Board in 2001, and was elected chairman in 2011. He is a graduate of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. In addition to serving as chairman of the Board, Thompson serves on the Institute for Veterans and Military Families External Advisory Board. Away from SU, Thompson began working in June 2014 as senior counsel in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

Last year, Thompson and the Board of Trustees came under scrutiny by the Senate for their decision on how SU should change its promotion policy.

The Senate serves as a forum for faculty, students and staff to discuss and make recommendations on university matters. Gorovitz said the Senate is not a “rubber stamp” and that it often debates the merits of a nomination.

“That something has been a tradition is not by itself a reason to continue to do it,” Gorovitz said. “We must always ask whether it is a tradition that serves us well.”

Published on March 30, 2015 at 8:57 pm

Contact Annie: apalme05@syr.edu