Provost’s Report to the University Senate on Feb. 23, 2022

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

Below, you will find the remarks I shared at yesterday’s meeting of the University Senate. I provided updates on the Vice President for Research Search, Cluster Hire Review, Academic Strategic Planning and the appointment of Dean’s Distinguished Professor Marcelle Haddix as Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Ritter
Vice Chancellor and Provost

Remarks from Feb. 23, 2022, Meeting of the University Senate

As we celebrate Black History Month, I would like to take a moment to honor Charles Willie and Constance Timberlake. Dr. Charles Willie, who received his Ph.D. in sociology at SU in 1957, went on to become the first African American tenured faculty member at SU. The grandson of former enslaved people, he was a very distinguished scholar of desegregation, race relations and higher education—he served in the Kennedy administration and spent the last part of his career as a tenured faculty member at Harvard University.

I also want to honor Constance Timberlake, who we believe was the first Black woman tenured at Syracuse in the Department of Family and Community Services in 1979. Dr. Timberlake’s research focused on adult education and sex education within the African American and Indigenous communities. She was appointed to the National Advisory Council for Continuing Education by President Carter and reappointed by President Reagan. She was also the first Black woman elected to the Syracuse Board of Education. She also appears to have been one of the organizers for the first Coming Back Together gathering of alumni of color here in the early 1980s.

Charles Willie and Constance Timberlake—this month and every month, it is valuable to remember these two great scholars and community leaders who helped to shape the history of this institution.

Four updates I will touch upon in my remarks today: the vice president for research (VPR) search; the cluster hire review; our academic strategic planning refresh; and our new associate provost for strategic initiatives.

VPR Search

Our search for the next permanent vice president for research is launched, with the committee meeting for the first time last week. At last week’s open forum, I heard thoughtful comments and concerns about the absence of a humanist on the committee. After further consideration of the matter and in consultation with search committee chair Duncan Brown, I have invited Romita Ray to join the search committee and she has agreed to serve. Further, let me stress that I am committed to finding a vice president for research who will be supportive of all forms of research and creative excellence—basic and applied, humanistic, scientific, artistic, social and professional—across all areas at SU. The goal here is to advance the discovery of new knowledge, the deepening of human understanding and the impact that the University has on the broader world. Members of the search committee will be hosting some forums and conversations to get further input from the campus community on opportunities and challenges for our next VPR.

Cluster Hire Review

At the last Senate meeting I mentioned that I had recently received a report from our cluster hire working group. Among the findings and recommendations from that report were the following: that the cluster hires have increased appreciation for the value and importance of interdisciplinary research on campus, and that the initiative has brought some terrific new faculty to the University. The working group that conducted this review found that some of the clusters are more advanced than others, and that one of the things that made a significant difference was whether a cluster is attached to a center or institute. Among the recommendations that the working group made was that we think about deepening staff support for the clusters and providing more support for cluster leaders. They also suggested that we consider reimagining or trimming back some of the clusters to make them more focused. Space was an issue that was raised as well—namely, the need for more space to support interdisciplinary collaboration and research. Finally, it was recommended that we work harder to articulate the purpose and vision behind the cluster hire initiative.

Academic Strategic Planning

This spring, we will be laying the groundwork for a refresh of our academic strategic plan. Our goal is to prepare for a broader engagement of the campus around academic strategic planning this coming fall. Among the things that we hope to accomplish this spring in anticipation of the fall planning effort are the following: exploring what we learned from the last strategic planning effort in 2015; providing training to deans, chairs and other leaders on academic strategic planning; laying out a process by which the planning will occur that includes both horizontal and vertical planning efforts around research and creative excellence; diversity, equity, inclusion and access (DEIA); excellence in teaching and student success; parallel and iterative processes for planning at the school and college level and within the broader academic enterprise; a focus on enrollment management; and a focus on resource projections and budget management. We will also work to specify a calendar for the fall planning effort, and a plan for engagement and communication with various stakeholder communities in the fall.

Associate Provost Marcelle Haddix

Finally, I am pleased to announce the newest member of the academic leadership team. Marcelle Haddix joined academic affairs two weeks ago as our new associate provost for strategic initiatives. Professor Haddix is the Dean’s Distinguished Professor of Literacy, Race and Justice in the School of Education. She is also the former chair of the University Senate Agenda Committee. Her areas of responsibility include oversight within academic affairs for DEIA; as well as shared governance and serving as a liaison to the University Senate. As she steps into this part of her role, she is looking forward to visiting with as many of the Senate’s standing committees as she can over the next few months. In addition, she will take lead responsibility for First-Year Seminar (FYS) 101. Associate Provost Haddix will also support and work with various campuswide arts and humanities organizations, such as the art museum and Light Work. She will be the liaison to the libraries and to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families and will partner with the Office of Community Relations to deepen academic involvement with community engagement.

Coming back to where I started, let me end in honor of Black History Month with a quote from Shirley Chisholm. Chisholm, a native New Yorker, was the first Black woman to serve in the U.S. Congress, elected in 1968. I had the honor of being on a panel with Congresswoman Chisholm when I was a graduate student at MIT. The quote I want to share with you from Chisholm reads as follows:

“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines … You make progress by implementing ideas.”

Over the coming months, I hope to join with all of you in developing and implementing ideas for advancing academic excellence at an institution that is welcoming to all. Thank you.