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Syracuse University unveiled the final draft of its Academic Strategic Plan Tuesday. The university will implement the goals outlined in the roadmap over the next five years.

The plan’s goals fall under five categories: emerging technologies, human thriving, global diversity, experiential inquiry and engaged citizenship. The areas, under the collective label of “leading with distinction,” will be carried out with actions at the university level and within each individual school and college.

Chancellor Kent Syverud and Gretchen Ritter — SU’s vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer — first launched the upcoming ASP in September 2022. This year’s final draft marks SU’s first ASP since the “Trajectory to Excellence,” which was finalized in June 2015.

The Daily Orange broke down what the ASP’s specific goals are and what they’ll mean for students and the surrounding community.

Study abroad

SU expects most undergraduates to have a credit-bearing study abroad or study away experience before they graduate by 2028.

The new approach will specifically target student-athletes and students with campus jobs, military connections or other on-campus commitments that would normally deter students from studying abroad.

With the finalized draft of the ASP, study abroad will become an embedded element in most academic programs. The university will financially support individual schools and colleges in developing curricular pathways that can increase the number of students participating in study abroad and away.

STEM

SU plans to increase undergraduate enrollment in its College of Engineering and Computer Science by at least 50% by 2028. SU will also add 50 new faculty members to the college, and research expenditures will increase by 100%.

Currently, there are a total of 1,534 undergraduate students in the college, according to its website. Link Hall, the college’s main building, underwent renovation over the summer to increase accessibility as part of a multi-year renovation project. Now, construction in Link Hall is centered on adding more lab spaces for students and researchers, as well as improving the building’s capacity.

The university is emphasizing enrollment and research in relevant STEM disciplines to meet the demand for jobs in central New York with the Micron semiconductor manufacturing facility coming to Clay. The plant is expected to bring a total of 9,000 direct Micron jobs and 40,000 “community jobs” to the region, according to Micron.

Research & Entrepreneurship

SU’s Office of Research and Office of Academic Affairs will work to improve research opportunities on campus with an emphasis on collaborative research between colleges. The improvements are planned to improve current research programs and establish new ones.

The offices will provide funding for new hires and other resources necessary for this expansion of research. By improving its research offerings, SU is looking to be a top-20 school in the country for research.

Co-curricular education

Under the finalized draft of the ASP, SU will mandate that every undergraduate student participates in curricular and/or co-curricular education focused on democracy and civil discourse by adding to the curricula of the required First Year Seminar and other diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility courses.

Veteran and military families

SU emphasized its commitment to veterans and people with military connections in the finalized draft of the ASP. The university’s goals for 2028 include targeted recruitment of veteran and military-connected faculty and students, providing greater support for in-person and online academic offerings and boosting experiential learning.

According to the Military Times 2020 ranking, SU is ranked as the fifth best university for veterans and the top private university for veterans. With the ASP, SU is aiming to be the overall top school for veterans in the nation.

SU will work to achieve these goals both independently and with the D’Aniello Institute for Veteran and Military Families.

SU’s commitments

To achieve these goals, SU has outlined necessary administrative actions. The actions include removing barriers to experiential learning opportunities — like study abroad, internships, research and community service — for students who previously may not have had the financial support or time.

Additionally, SU will promote interdisciplinary collaboration and ensure that DEIA principles are met, including for non-traditional students and people with disabilities.

Published on October 1, 2023 at 10:57 pm

Contact Stephanie: spwright@syr.edu