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 from 1997 to 2001 and then chancellor of the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2001 until 2004.
Syracuse University In 2004, Cantor was selected chancellor of Syracuse University. 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. 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. Certain faculty members took issue with what was seen as "authoritarian rule". Syracuse history professor David H. Bennett commented, “My fear is that the university is moving away from selective to inclusive." 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. 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. 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." The University received criticism for withdrawing from the
Association of American Universities membership in 2011 for "not meeting AAU criteria for producing research". 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.
Rutgers University In 2014, Cantor left Syracuse and took a position as chancellor of
Rutgers University–Newark. Excerpts of Cantor shouting "I’m the chancellor!" went viral online. Cantor issued an apology for her behavior, after an open records request brought the video to light three months later.
Hunter College On February 13, 2024, Cantor was appointed as the 14th President of
Hunter College, and began her term on August 12, 2024. ==Awards==