Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud, with the support of the University’s Board of Trustees, today introduced Fast Forward Syracuse, a transformation initiative that will provide the key strategic direction and framework for propelling the University forward, fostering academic and operational excellence, and meeting the challenges ahead.
Fast Forward Syracuse will be a University-wide initiative that will include broad participation by faculty, staff and students as well as other stakeholders from across the institution. At its core, Fast Forward Syracuse will be a strategic, transformative and collaborative initiative that will allow the University community to build on its widely recognized strengths, improve in such key areas as the undergraduate experience and research, embrace change and prioritize students as the primary focus of everything the University does.
Fast Forward Syracuse will include three interrelated components:
Fast Forward Syracuse was named to capture the vision and energy of the student competition held as part of Chancellor’s Syverud’s inauguration in April. The competition challenged students to create ideas and action plans for how Syracuse University can positively impact the world. The student entrants—and the eventual 13 winners—epitomized the collaboration and innovation that has always been a part of Syracuse’s history. This mindset underlies the overall Fast Forward Syracuse initiative.
Below is an overview of each of the three Fast Forward Syracuse interrelated components:
Fast Forward Syracuse: Strategic Plan
The University Strategic Plan will set forth an ambitious vision for the University that builds on its strengths and leverages external opportunity. It will define the University’s vision and strategic direction, detail the University’s priorities and identify specific actions and plans to pursue and investments that must be made. The process will be led by a steering committee and include a number of working groups, all of which will include members from across campus. It will also include participation by members of the Board of Trustees. These groups will provide a number of ways for members of the University community—including students, faculty, staff, alumni and other SU stakeholders—to contribute their ideas. Chancellor Syverud and Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric Spina are finalizing the specific planning process and will make an additional announcement soon.
Fast Forward Syracuse: Campus Master Plan
In his May 30 memo to the University community, Chancellor Syverud announced the appointment of a Campus Master Plan Advisory Group for the development of a University Campus Master Plan. The Campus Master Plan will be developed in conjunction and coordination with the University’s strategic plan and will shape, guide and manage the campus environment and its physical form; identify the relationship between principles and policies and the issues and places that constitute the campus; determine issues and goals for selection and development of campus building sites; and establish architectural, landscape, parking, utilities, signage, code, zoning and other criteria for developing sites. As it moves forward, the Campus Master Plan Advisory Group will seek input from students, faculty, staff and other SU stakeholders.
The Advisory Group, which has already begun its work, is composed of the following members:
Fast Forward Syracuse: Operational Excellence Program
The Operational Excellence Program is the next step in the Innovation and Opportunities Assessment process that began last October. At that time, an Innovation and Opportunities Assessment Steering Committee—with representatives from the faculty, deans and administrative departments—led the work. The assessment included a University-wide forum, interviews, focus groups and an employee survey intended to capture a wide range of views on potential areas for improvement.
In April, a report describing the summary findings from that assessment was shared with the University community. The report found that while the University continues to build important strengths, like many other institutions of higher education, it faces significant challenges, including effectively allocating resources, controlling rising costs and modernizing systems and processes. Importantly, the report further found that the majority of Syracuse faculty and staff believe the University must change significantly to remain successful in the future.
The Operational Excellence component of Fast Forward Syracuse will be conducted under the direction of Jeff Kaplan, senior advisor to the Chancellor and President. In his May 12 memo, Chancellor Syverud announced Kaplan’s appointment, effective July 1. He will lead the Operational Excellence Program and oversee the program’s day-to-day operations, including the creation of a Program Management Office. The Program Management Office will also be supported by staff from Bain & Company, a global management consulting firm, which helped conduct the Innovation and Opportunities Assessment.
The Operational Excellence Program’s objectives will be to:
Members of the campus community will also have a valuable role to play in the program. The work of the program will be carried out by cross-department working teams with support from the Program Management Office and Bain & Company staff. These teams—made up of faculty and staff—will design the solutions and the plans to implement them. Although specifics of the program will unfold more fully as the work gets underway, the University community can first expect changes in operational areas, including facilities planning, human resource processes, purchasing processes, fundraising processes and organization design.
An Operational Excellence Steering Committee, composed of representatives from schools and colleges and University management, will provide input on the program and its work. Members of the Steering Committee are:
There will also be an Operational Excellence Executive Committee that will provide high-level oversight and whose members will also serve on the Steering Committee. Members of the Executive Committee are:
As the three interrelated components of Fast Forward Syracuse begin in earnest, regular communications to the campus community will be provided on the Fast Forward Syracuse website. To submit an idea, or to volunteer for a work team, visit fastforward.syr.edu.
