UPDATED: Oct. 13, 11:58 a.m.

In June, Chancellor Kent Syverud announced the start of Fast Forward Syracuse, a university-wide initiative to determine what Syracuse University should focus on and how it needs to improve going forward. The initiative has three parts: the Strategic Plan focused on academics, the Campus Master Plan focused on SU’s infrastructure and the Operational Excellence Program focused on finances and how the university can become more cost-efficient and save money.

Throughout the process, the university is looking for input from the SU community. The last of three campus forums was held last week but community members can still submit input on the Campus Master Plan through Friday and on the overall initiative through the end of October.

Timeline:

December 2013: SU hires Bain and Co. to help analyze campus and produce a report.

April 2014: Bain and Co. releases its 38-page report detailing areas in which SU can improve.

June 24, 2014: In a campus-wide email, Syverud announces the start of Fast Forward Syracuse.

Sept. 22, 2014: Syverud kicks off the Fast Forward Syracuse initiative with a town hall meeting in Hendricks Chapel.

Sept. 30, 2014: The second campus forum to share ideas about the strategic plan is held.

Oct. 1, 2014: The comment period for the first draft of SU’s new mission and vision statement ends.

Oct. 6, 2014: The final campus forum to share ideas about the strategic plan is held.

Oct. 17, 2014: The end of the time period to fill out the MyCampus Survey.

November 2014: A final draft of the vision and mission statement is presented at the Board of Trustees meeting for approval.

May 2014: The projected date for the end of development for the strategic plan and campus master plan.

How to submit input:

— Syracuse MyCampus Survey: an interactive mapping survey designed to see how SU community members use and move through campus. The survey is available until Friday by going to mycampus.sasaki.com/branches/syracuse/.

— Share an idea: SU community members can submit an idea about what the university should focus on moving forward by going to fastforward.syr.edu. Ideas can be submitted through the end of October.

— Text-based option:  There is also a text-based alternative for the MyCampus survey available at: http://fluidsurveys.com/s/mycampus-syracuse-alt/

Why you should care:

“Fast Forward represents an incredible opportunity for the students of Syracuse University to take part in the most significant period of change in our university’s recent history. My work with the administration this semester has convinced me that together we can inspire positive change in our campus. The Student Association has committed itself to facilitating this reform and advocating on behalf of our constituents to ensure that Syracuse University remains both a pillar of academic excellence and a standard for the modern, progressive community.”

— Boris Gresely, Student Association president and member of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee and Campus Master Plan Advisory Group

“Our university is going to change because of Fast Forward, and I want students to be at the forefront of this change.  We want the best experience and education we can get, and we’ll only get that if we are deeply involved in planning these changes.  Fast Forward will transform the university we all attend — let’s make sure it transforms into the university we want.”

— Pat Neary, Graduate Student Organization president and member of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee and Campus Master Plan Advisory Group

“Fast Forward Syracuse is an exciting opportunity for change at Syracuse. Student input is vital in having students shape the university they love and take ownership. Each of these processes, including the campus master plan, is a chance for students to directly affect the future of the university and take it in new and exciting directions!”

— Sam Leitermann, graduate student and member of the Campus Master Plan Advisory Group

“We all come to SU for our own reasons, but once we arrive we find community. What works? What just doesn’t? We can do a far better job tackling these hard questions together than we can on our own. Fast Forward is everyone’s chance to make this place a little better than we found it.”
— Eddie Zaremba, graduate student and member of the Campus Master Plan Advisory Group

Terms to know:

— Bain and Co.: A Boston-based global management firm hired by the university last December to analyze the campus and produce a report, which was released in late April.

— Sasaki Associates: A Boston-based architecture and design firm hired by the university last week to assist with campus planning.

— Strategic plan: A document that sets out goals for an organization as well as how to achieve those goals.

— Program Management Office: An SU office created this summer to oversee the operational excellence component of Fast Forward Syracuse.

Working groups:

As part of the development of a strategic plan, SU has created seven work groups, with 12–15 members each, to explore various areas in which the university can improve. The seven work groups are:

— Undergraduate excellence

— Strategically focused research and doctoral programs

— Leadership in veterans and military affairs

— Enhancing internationalization

— Change: innovation and institutional renewal

— Student- and faculty-centered operation

— Professional program excellence

Published on October 13, 2014 at 12:04 am

Contact Jessica: [email protected] | @JessicaIannetta