Syracuse University has launched a new Signature Hires Initiative to strengthen teaching and research capacity through the addition of 100 new faculty over the next five years. A critical component of the University’s $100 million Invest Syracuse: Advancing Academic Excellence and the Student Experience, this major investment is designed to advance the University’s educational initiatives and further propel its already dynamic research enterprises to the cutting edge of their respective fields.
The Signature Hires initiative is designed to advance the University’s educational initiatives.
The additions will involve a combination of signature hires and cluster hires seeking to build a more diverse faculty, elevate the University’s national and international reputation in signature areas and enhance interdisciplinary collaboration through cluster hires.
“This initiative aligns solidly with the overarching goal of Invest Syracuse, which is to provide all students with a distinctive, world-class learning experience to prepare them for professional and personal success,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “These strategic hires will advance our capacity to provide a state-of-the-art 21st century education by enhancing professor-to-student ratios and generating significant new research opportunities for our students.”
Provost Michele Wheatly says the Signature Hires Initiative will advance the University’s Academic Strategic Plan while also strengthening the University’s Carnegie classification as an R1 research university. “As an international, student-focused research university, we are committed to growing the research enterprise; increasing discoveries, innovation and impact; diversifying our faculty; and enhancing our national and international reputation,” says Provost Wheatly. “This hiring initiative will leverage our existing cross-cutting strengths to facilitate interdisciplinary research that expands our capacity to address some of the most complex global challenges of the day.”
To initiate the signature hiring process, each school and college was asked, if given the opportunity, how they would distinguish themselves through signature hires. For example, one school noted in its signature hire proposal the desire to build a critical mass of faculty able to generate high-impact intellectual capital in key areas, such as entrepreneurship, to better distinguish the school among its peers.
Recommended signature positions were reviewed by a panel of senior faculty and campus leadership. Criteria for signature hires included a requirement to increase the quality of education at Syracuse University by a combined commitment to teaching and research. The initiative seeks to identify a diverse group of talented and passionate educators whose expertise in their research fields will enable them to translate their success into practical, real-world action by their students and prepare those students for careers that address contemporary issues.
Using that criteria, the Signature Hires Initiative review panel identified 31 positions across the 11 degree-granting schools and colleges, with positions to be cost-shared by the University and the schools and colleges.
“The greatest impact of the Signature Hires Initiative will be realized through the opportunities it will create for our students,” says John Liu, the University’s vice president for research. “In addition to providing a state-of-the-art educational experience for our students and increasing diversity among our faculty, new research opportunities resulting from the initiative will help pave the way for students to excel in their careers. In the long term, the success of Syracuse University is defined by the success of our graduates.”
Under the Signature Hires Initiative, identified signature hires should contribute to the national and international reputation of Syracuse University, bolstering the earning power of graduating students and enhancing institutional success in recruiting new students.
About Invest Syracuse
Invest Syracuse: Advancing Academic Excellence and the Student Experience aims to provide all students with a distinctive, world-class learning experience that prepares them for professional and personal success. The three-pronged initiative seeks to redefine the student experience, advance discovery and innovation and expand opportunity for students of promise and talent from across the socioeconomic spectrum. To learn more about Invest Syracuse, visit http://investsyracuse.syr.edu.
About Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings and an undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic heart of New York State, with a global footprint, and nearly 150 years of history, Syracuse University offers a quintessential college experience. The scope of Syracuse University is a testament to its strengths: a pioneering history dating back to 1870; a choice of more than 200 majors and 100 minors offered through 13 schools and colleges; nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, please visit http://syracuse.edu.
