Hill, Bob

English

Syracuse University Research Facility and Collaborative Environment

REMEMBERING MELVIN A • E G G E R 5 uA Legacy for Excellence" SyractMe UniPerdity BUJJ FareweLL to ChanceLLor EmeritLM MeLPin A. Egger d. T h ose who r e m e mber the Syracuse University of 25 years ago recall an institu-tion far less polished and stable than the version Mel-vin A. Eggers left behind. The decad e of the seventies arrived rude ly he re, bringing with it student p rotests, a strike-shortened academic year, and a confrontation between rock-throwing students and pepper -gassing police. It also included three straight years of declining enrollment, a budget d eficit projected at $2.2 million, a $9-million backlog of deferred main-te nance, a nd a lead ership void - the Cha ncellor 's seat was vacant for the second time in two years. A student on the 1971 committee to name a new Chancellor neatly summarized the situ-ation. Respondjng to a reporter's ques-tion about candidates, h e said, "Any-body in his right mind wouldn 't tak e the job anyway." Eggers disagreed; he took the job. A professor of economics since 1950, Eggers entered the Chancellor's office mth the support of the faculty, a com-mitment to consensus-building, a nd a course of action based on containing costs and developing a strong academic program to increase e n ro llment. It 4 SYRA CUSE UN IVERS ITY MA GA Z INE worked . By the e nd of hi s first fu ll year, he had ba lanced the budget, re-v ersed the slide in enrollment, and started to rebuild the University's fiscal and physical assets. H e'd a lso made clear his agenda: "We are building for the future rather tha n try ing only to m eet e mergen c ies on a d ay-to-d ay basis." Eggers continued that course of action until his 1991 retirement. He died November 20, six weeks after the dedication of the final project he began aj; Syracuse University, the $22 million cbmpa nion building to Maxwell Hall. N a med in honor of the former Chan-1Hill: Remembering Melvin A. EggersPublished by SURFACE, 1994cellor, Melvin A. Eggers Hall stands as a monument to the man who solidified the University's academic strengths, tripled the endowment, and reshaped the campus. "He has left this institution with a legacy for excellence," says Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw. "He guided the University to great h eigh ts, using his v ision to h elp it achieve national prominence," says H . Douglas Barclay, chairman of the University's board of trustees. "The board of trustees, the alumni, the facul-ty, and the whole University communi-ty owe him a great debt of gratitude." Under Eggers, enrollment rose by more than 3,000 students, the number of faculty members grew from 869 to 1,004, and faculty grants inc reased from $12.5 million to more than $22 million. H e presided over 29 major building projects, including the Center for Science and Tec hno logy, t he S chine Student Center, the Crou se-Hinds School of Management Build-ing, and the Carrier Dome. In addition, he directed the renovation of numerous buildings, including the massive over-haul of SU's oldest structure, the state-ly Hall of Languages. Eggers also guided SU through the Campaign for Syracuse, a $160-million fund-rai sing venture that funneled much-need ed aid into teaching and research activities, academic equip-ment, student financial aid, and distin-guished faculty chairs, which made possible the long-term appointment of ma ny highly regarded scholars. This aid helped the University achieve a better balance between teaching and research and "propelled our academic program to new levels," says Gershon Vincow, the vice chancellor for acade-mic affairs. Born February 21, 19 16, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Eggers earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Indiana University and a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University. He also served in the United States Navy during World War II. Eggers joined SU as an assistant pro-fessor of economics in 1950 and be-came chairma n of the department 10 years later. In 1970 he was appointed provost and vice chancellor for acade-mic affairs. H e became acting Chan-cellor in March of 1971 and was nam-ed the University's ninth Chancellor four months later. On his first day as acting Cha n -5 W I NT E R 1994 cellor, Eggers agreed to meet with 600 protesting students to address their de-mands. Rather than meeting emotion with emotion, he initiated a program of low-key negotiations. The approach was ty pical Eggers. "He was always willing to look at all sides of a ques-tion," says Clifford Winters, the Uni-versity's former vice chancellor for administrative operations. Eggers' proudest moment as Chan-cellor may have accompanied Renee Schine Crown's $3-million gift, which enabled the University to forge ahead with construction of the long-awaited student center, opened in 1985. His lowest moment undoubtedly arrived w it h t he 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 35 Syracuse University students. Eggers' 20-year reign as Chancellor was exceeded in length only by James Roscoe Day (1894 to 1922) a nd Wil-lia m Pearson Tolley (1942 to 1969) . T he latter recalls Eggers as "a superb teacher and administrator. He had a profound impact on classroom in-struction and scientific research. He was a man w ho led by example a nd was committed to the pursuit of excel-lence. His influence will grow with the passing years." - BoB HILL Melvin A. Eggers as Chancellor: Presiding over ground-breaking ceremonies for the Carrier Dome in 1978, and lead-ing commencement exercises for the final time in 1991. 2Syracuse University Magazine, Vol. 11, Iss. 2 [1994], Art. 2https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol11/iss2/2

Remembering Melvin A. Eggers:  A Legacy for Excellence

https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1424&amp;context=sumagazine

Remembering Melvin A. Eggers: A Legacy for Excellence

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Syracuse University Research Facility and Collaborative Environment