Nancy Cantor
Nancy Cantor in 2006
2nd Chancellor of
Rutgers University–Newark
Assumed office
2014
Preceded bySteven Diner
11th Chancellor and President of Syracuse University
In office
1 August 2004 – 31 December 2013
Preceded byKenneth Shaw
Succeeded byKent Syverud
7th Chancellor of the
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
In office
2001–2004
Preceded byMichael Aiken
Succeeded byRichard Herman
Personal details
Born (1952-02-04) February 4, 1952
Alma materSarah Lawrence College
Stanford University
ProfessionProfessor, University administrator
Websitewww.newark.rutgers.edu/nancy-cantor
Academic background
ThesisPrototypicality and personality judgments (1978)
Doctoral advisorWalter Mischel
Academic work
DisciplinePsychology
Institutions

Nancy Ellen Cantor (born February 4, 1952)[1] is an American academic administrator and the chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark, in Newark, New Jersey. A social psychologist, Cantor is recognized for her scholarly contributions to the understanding of how individuals perceive and think about their social worlds, pursue personal goals, and how they regulate their behavior to adapt to life's most challenging social environments. Previously, Cantor was the first woman chancellor at Syracuse University.[2] Prior to that she was the first woman chancellor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[3] Earlier, she had been provost at the University of Michigan.

Early life and education

Cantor was born in New York City.[1] She received her A.B. in 1974 from Sarah Lawrence College and her Ph.D. in psychology in 1978 from Stanford University. At Stanford, Cantor initiated a program of research on person prototypes[4] with Walter Mischel inspired by the categorization research of Eleanor Rosch and Carolyn Mervis.[1]

Career

Cantor has been recognized for establishing a new understanding of the role of universities in society that re-emphasizes their public mission.[5] Conversely, Cantor’s terms as chancellor have been criticized for placing too much emphasis on city development and admission status.[6]

Early career

Early in her career, Cantor held teaching positions at the University of Michigan and Princeton University. As an academic administrator, she served as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan and then chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Syracuse University

In 2004, Cantor was selected chancellor of Syracuse University.[7] The university's board of trustees judged her initial five years to be very successful, pointing to her work with students, faculty and staff that leveraged the university's historic strengths, fostered innovation and creativity, and connected the institution in ways with the community, all of which has increased the university's quality and national visibility.[8] Cantor received criticism for an overall deterioration in the university's academic standing as a research center resulting in a decline in admissions standards, with its acceptance rate climbing from mid-50 to more than 60 percent.[7][9] Certain faculty members took issue with what was seen as "authoritarian rule".[7][10] Syracuse history professor said, “My fear is that the university is moving away from selective to inclusive."[11]

Upon her departure from Syracuse nine years, later, Cantor was credited by the chair of the university's board of trustees with having been a superlative leader and making unprecedented advancements. Board of Trustees Chairman Richard L. Thompson said of Cantor, "The Rutgers-Newark campus and community are gaining one of the nation’s outstanding academic leaders and the Rutgers board is gaining a deeply thoughtful, energetic and committed partner. Nancy has been a superlative leader, seeing our University to wonderful success and helping us to build on our distinctive greatness and achieve new heights."[12] Cantor's premature resignation 2 years prior to the ending of her contract raised questions from those at the university as to whether or not she was "pressured" to leave.[6]

Cantor was among the early university leaders nationally to initiate the role of popular press rankings of colleges and universities. The University received criticism for withdrawing from the Association of American Universities membership for "not meeting AAU criteria for producing research".[11]

Cantor headed a major fundraising campaign at Syracuse and was responsible for the development of the university’s Scholarship in Action initiative, which emphasized the role of the university as a public good. It was noted that Scholarship in Action was both popular and divisive at the same time.[13][14] The Connective Corridor was the physical part of Scholarship in Action that aimed to bridge gaps between a wealthy university and a surrounding struggling city.[10][15]

In 2006, following segments of racially discriminatory content that aired at the student-run TV station HillTV, Cantor halted production so that a university panel could review the content in keeping with the university's conduct code. “With free expression comes responsibilities for being a part of a campus community,” Cantor said in an interview. "We have codes of conduct. I don’t think it is beyond question to ask people who are in a diverse campus community to abide by those codes."[16] Certain university faculty expressed concern that a divide had been created between free speech advocates and the chancellor supporters. ”There’s a tension,” said journalism professor Charlotte Grimes. ”I think people are increasingly cautious about what they say publicly, particularly if they don’t have tenure. There is a sense that if you speak out you might very well get a phone call from the powers that be.”[16] Over 60 professors and staff signed an open letter protesting the move and Cantor's decision. Ultimately, a university panel allowed the station to re-open.[16]

In 2014, Cantor left Syracuse and took a position as chancellor of Rutgers University–Newark.[10]

Rutgers police incident

On March 4, 2019, Cantor was video-taped confronting campus police during a minor traffic accident investigation involving her driver's car and a Rutgers University campus police car. The confrontation was widely reported in the national news media.[17][18] The police video of the incident also went viral online when outbursts of Cantor shouting: "I’m the chancellor!" caught public attention.[19] Three months later, in June 2019, Cantor issued an apology for her behavior, after an open records request brought the video to light.[20]

Awards

Cantor is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[21] and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.[22] She was the 1985 recipient of the American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions in the area of personality psychology.[23] Her award citation emphasized her contributions to the study of social categorization, specifically, how concepts are structured in terms of probabilities as fuzzy sets.[1] Other awards include the Woman of Achievement Award from the Anti-Defamation League, the Making a Difference for Women Award from the National Council for Research on Women, the Reginald Wilson Diversity Leadership Award from the American Council on Education, and the Frank W. Hale, Jr. Diversity Leadership Award from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.[3] Cantor was granted the 2008 Carnegie Corporation Academic Leadership Award.[24][25]

Personal life

Cantor is married to sociology professor Steven R. Brechin, who teaches at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Distinguished scientific awards for an early career contribution to psychology: Nancy E. Cantor". American Psychologist. 41 (4): 365–368. 1986. doi:10.1037/h0092136. ISSN 1935-990X.
  2. ↑ Mulconry, Sandi (February 6, 2004). "Nancy Cantor, Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, named 11th Chancellor and President of Syracuse University". SU News. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Nancy Cantor – 150 for 150". Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  4. ↑ Cantor, Nancy; Mischel, Walter (1979), "Prototypes in Person Perception", Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 12, pp. 3–52, doi:10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60258-0, ISBN 978-0-12-015212-4, retrieved 2021-09-13
  5. ↑ Rita Axelroth Hodges and Steven Dunn (2012). The Road Half Traveled: University Engagement at a Crossroads. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.
  6. 1 2 Archive, qgao07 (May 13, 2020). "A look back on Nancy Cantor's career". www.thenewshouse.com. Retrieved March 29, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. 1 2 3 Eltagouri, Marwa (December 4, 2013). "Bird by Bird: Nancy Cantor, community reflect on her tenure at Syracuse University". Daily Orange. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  8. ↑ Quinn, Kevin (June 27, 2008). "Syracuse University Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor awarded new contract through 2014". SU News. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  9. ↑ Wilson, Robin (September 18, 2021). "Syracuse's Slide". Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 Heyboer, Kelly (March 29, 2019). "Former Syracuse president takes reins as Rutgers-Newark chancellor". nj.com. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  11. 1 2 Wilson, Robin (October 2, 2011). "Syracuse's Slide". www.chronicle.com. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  12. ↑ Quinn, Kevin (June 20, 2013). "Syracuse University Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor Named Chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark". SU News. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  13. ↑ M, David (November 10, 2013). "Nancy Cantor's vision: Good for the city, divisive on campus (David M. Rubin)". syracuse.com. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  14. ↑ Editorial Board (December 8, 2013). "As fans and foes debate Nancy Cantor's legacy, they can't argue with this: She was good for Syracuse". syracuse.com. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  15. ↑ Wasilewski, Walt (December 11, 2013). "The Cantor Legacy". Syracuse New Times. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  16. 1 2 3 Mayor, Evan (April 7, 2006). "Censored TV station at Syracuse back on air; free speech questions persist". Student Press Law Center. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  17. ↑ "'I'm the Chancellor!' Rutgers Official Apologizes After Video Shows Her Yelling at Campus Police". NBC New York. June 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  18. ↑ Calicchio, Dom (June 27, 2019). "'I'm the chancellor!' university leader, a former Cuomo appointee, tells campus cops after traffic accident". FOX News. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  19. ↑ Elletson, Grace (June 24, 2019). "Rutgers Chancellor Apologizes After Body-Cam Footage Shows Her Berating Campus Police Officers". Chronicle.com. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  20. ↑ Carrera, Catherine (June 24, 2019). "'I was not my best self,' Rutgers chancellor says of her outburst at campus police". North Jersey. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Nancy E. Cantor". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  22. ↑ "Nancy Cantor, Board of Governors, New York Academy of Sciences".
  23. ↑ "APA Distinguished Scientific Awards for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology". www.apa.org. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  24. ↑ Press Release (June 17, 2008). "Visionaries At Berkeley, Syracuse Honored With Top Educator's Prize". Carnegie Corporation of New York. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Syracuse University Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor honored by Carnegie Corporation with national Academic Leadership Award, $500,000 grant". SU News. 17 June 2008. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
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