Academic Portfolio Review Update

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

As the Academic Portfolio Review moves forward, I want to share important updates, dispel some rumors and ask for your participation in the process. As I communicated in my Aug. 20 message, I have charged the deans of each school and college with meaningfully engaging with their communities to conduct a collaborative and thoughtful  examination of programs, degrees and majors. I want to take this opportunity to underscore the goals of this review and why your engagement is a critical part of this process.

What the Academic Portfolio Review IS:

The Academic Portfolio Review is a Universitywide initiative examining programs across all schools and colleges, with no focus on a single discipline or area of study. Some programs will be temporarily paused, which means we will not admit new students while the program’s future is under review. Importantly, a pause does not remove a program from the catalog or stop it from being taught, nor does pausing or closing a program mean we will no longer offer courses in that discipline.  Continuing to admit students into programs with uncertain futures would be irresponsible. A pause provides necessary space to evaluate and reimagine programs for long-term success while ensuring current students receive appropriate support and a clear path to degree completion.

This collaborative process seeks input from all constituencies through surveys, listening sessions and department meetings, using a data-informed approach that considers enrollment trends, market analysis, mission alignment and the qualitative insights offered by our community. The review represents an opportunity to strengthen and innovate by identifying programs that could benefit from reimagining, those where continued investment will sustain excellence, and those consistently underperforming. This review allows the University to plan and execute on a proactive strategy. This approach will help position Syracuse to adapt thoughtfully and avoid hasty and dramatic program changes experienced at other institutions.

What the Academic Portfolio Review IS NOT:

This review is not an assessment of departments or individuals. There is no predetermined outcome—recommendations will emerge from genuine consultation and analysis. The process is not based solely on numbers; however, we cannot ignore student interest or enrollment data (some majors have as few as one declared student), as it is an important part of the assessment process. This is not a unilateral decision but rather a process that honors and seeks broad community input. This is not about cutting our way to excellence but strategically aligning resources with our mission and students’ futures, ensuring every Syracuse degree maintains its value while meeting society’s evolving needs.

Why Your Engagement Matters

Each dean is actively seeking community input, and your participation is important. While data shows some programs have as few as one student or none majoring annually, enrollment figures alone don’t capture a program’s intellectual value, interdisciplinary contributions, research role or potential for reimagination—insights that come only through your engagement. Every voice matters in this collaborative process, whether you’re a student, faculty or staff member. With deans submitting recommendations by year’s end, the window for meaningful input is now—engage in the process so that your ideas and perspectives are considered.

Advancing Academic Excellence Together

Our goal is to ensure Syracuse University’s academic portfolio remains vibrant, relevant and sustainable by making thoughtful decisions about where to invest resources for maximum impact. This means being honest about programs that may no longer serve students’ needs while creatively reimagining and strengthening others.

Some programs will emerge with renewed energy and resources, others will transform through re-envisioning or merger, and yes, some low-enrolled programs (not whole departments) may be phased out—always with clear pathways for current students to complete degrees and respect for faculty and staff contributions.

Together, we can navigate these challenges and emerge stronger, but “together” only works when we all show up—thank you for your commitment and participation in shaping our academic future.

Sincerely,

Lois Agnew
Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer