Dear Faculty Colleagues:
Having joined the Orange community last October, this has been for me an academic year of many firsts, including this summer message to wish you all days ahead doing exactly what you want—be it your research, writing or creative work; participating in conferences or workshops; revising a key course; or simply spending time with your friends and family. However you spend your summer months, I do hope you find some time to reflect, relax and recharge. I appreciate all the time and talent you’ve devoted to making this last semester a successful one for our students. Now, it’s time to catch up on the things you have been putting off until things “quieted down.”
Commencement Weekend
From my vantage point, the involvement of our faculty in our students’ success is a distinctive hallmark of Syracuse University. It was palpable in last month’s Convocation and Commencement ceremonies, and other related celebrations. I was amazed by and deeply appreciative of the time, energy and participation by our faculty, advisors, academic leadership and, of course, students and their families. All the ceremonies were impressive and memorable in their own ways, but I was especially moved by the ROTC Commissioning Ceremony and the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony. Following the Newhouse Convocation, I even had the opportunity to “break the news” to Newhouse faculty member Renee Stevens that she had just earned promotion and tenure as an associate professor. It’s not every day I get to do something as special as that. My deep gratitude and appreciation to all who helped plan, execute and participate in these important events after what was a very busy semester.
Academic Leadership
Though the summer months bring with them well-deserved time away for many, there is much work that continues, and the campus remains a bustling place. Certainly, our faculty are preparing for leadership transitions in key areas. I appreciate the support you are giving to David Seaman, Lois Agnew and Alex McKelvie for enthusiastically stepping into the role of interim dean in their respective schools and colleges. I have been meeting with the faculty in the School of Information Studies, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Whitman School of Management, respectively, to initiate the consultation process that marks the first phase of all the dean searches. Formal work on these dean searches will begin at the start of the fall semester once our community has returned to campus.
Academic Strategic Plan Refresh
All of our academic leadership and faculty will be engaged in the refresh of our academic strategic plan, commencing this fall. The Academic Strategic Planning Preparation Group, commissioned earlier this year, was charged with developing a schedule, scope and design for a refresh of Syracuse University’s Academic Strategic Plan. The group submitted their final report to me last week, which includes a thoughtful roadmap for our strategic planning. The group also put forth trainings for department chairs, senate committee chairs, deans and other academic leaders; prepared a comprehensive handbook to be used by leaders at all levels as we prepare for a semester of planning; and is currently building data books and templates, so we can all hit the ground running in the fall. Thank you to this group for going above and beyond.
Of great significance to us all, this refreshed strategic plan will be collectively developed and collectively owned. It is not my document; it is not the deans’ document—it belongs to every school and college. It truly belongs to all of us—and we all have a stake in its success.
Cluster Hire Initiative
The recommendations of the Cluster Hire Initiative Working Group provide an opportunity to review and refocus our investments in the research clusters, ensure that clusters have the support that they need to succeed and clarify the policies for cluster governance and leadership. As we move forward we must ensure that hiring proceeds in a way that recognizes the equal importance of clusters and departmental hires and that the clusters achieve their goal of strengthening our research, scholarship and creative endeavors.
Research Enterprise
As announced last week, Duncan Brown, the Charles Brightman Endowed Professor of Physics and an accomplished physicist, has been appointed vice president for research. Over the next few weeks and months, I will be working with Duncan, the deans and our faculty to develop a roadmap and priorities for enhancing our research, scholarship and creative enterprise.
Summer Construction
Finally, when our community returns to campus in the fall, there will be physical changes in many buildings that are designed to enhance the overall student experience. Vice President and Chief Campus Facilities Officer Pete Sala and his team like to call the summer “our construction window.”
While a lot of construction is happening all over campus, I am most excited about the work focused on the academic core. At Shaffer, work to enhance the interior for the School of Art and the Department of Film and Media Arts is underway. And, for anyone who has been on the Quad in recent days, you can not miss the construction at Link Hall, the beginning of a multi-year refresh. Work also continues in the Center for Science and Technology building in the Life Sciences Complex. Upgrades in classrooms, laboratories and libraries are also being prioritized this summer and will be visible upon your return. These are just a few examples of the academic-focused work being performed this summer.
Faculty Center Next Steps
You can also look forward to news about the Faculty Center as the committee assigned to this project has completed its work and submitted to me a report, which I am using to evaluate possible new locations. I want to thank the members of the committee for their dedication to this very important project.
While you will receive updates from me periodically over the summer, my next comprehensive message will come just before the start of the fall semester. In the meantime, I wish you all a healthy, restful, creative and productive summer—however you define it. I look forward with great anticipation to my second academic year working with all of you.
Best wishes,
Gretchen Ritter
Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer