Campus Framework Update

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

With the spring semester fully underway, we want to update the campus community on the progress of the Campus Framework planning process.

First and foremost, thank you for your participation in the more than one dozen Campus Framework forums we hosted in September, October and November. Your feedback is integral to this process and has already been used to make changes. The process of incorporating your input into the draft Campus Framework is ongoing. We’ve heard from hundreds of students, faculty, staff and community members, and appreciate the good suggestions, candor and constructive feedback.

We also want to extend our gratitude to the deans of the schools and colleges and people in the many academic and support units on campus. Throughout the fall semester, we met with these individuals to hear and gather their feedback. Specifically, this effort focused on identifying each school, college and support unit’s specific space needs and priorities. These sessions also included a discussion of how addressing those needs and priorities would support the University’s academic vision and mission. It is clear from these conversations that there is a collective commitment to ensuring the Campus Framework complements and supports the implementation of the Academic Strategic Plan.

In late January, the University announced the creation of a new Campus Facilities Advisory Board. This board, composed of students, faculty and staff, is charged with assessing all academic and non-academic investments within the Campus Framework. As co-chairs of this board, our priority will be to bring the members up to speed on all aspects of the Campus Framework before proceeding with next steps. Their input, particularly as it relates to academic facility priorities, is vital.

Envisioning and bringing to life the future of our campus is a significant undertaking—both logistically and financially. This month, Amir Rahnamay-Azar, the University’s new chief financial officer, will begin his new role at Syracuse. His review of the Campus Framework’s goals, priorities and projects is essential as we begin to define a budget and a timeline of construction.

Later this month, we, along with our colleagues in Campus Planning, Design and Construction and the members of the Campus Framework Advisory Group, will host a forum on Tuesday, Feb. 28, to share with you the information we gathered last fall and to solicit additional feedback on next steps. Specific details about the forum are forthcoming; we hope you will join us. In addition to engaging in conversation with and answering questions from participants, we will also:

•   provide an overview of the physical space priorities as identified by the academic deans in the schools and colleges;
•   summarize the results of the two space audits, including the accessibility audit, that were conducted in the fall;
•   discuss how the Campus Framework works in tandem with the academic strategic planning process; and
•   review the goals of the new Campus Facilities Advisory Board.

We continue all of this work in a deliberate, meticulous and collaborative manner. Given all this great activity and new leadership, we are taking additional time to ensure that all feedback is accurately and appropriately reflected in the next draft of the Campus Framework.

Following the forum on Feb. 28, Chancellor Kent Syverud, Provost Michele Wheatly, the Board of Trustees and the Campus Framework Advisory Group will continue to revise the draft Campus Framework. We anticipate an updated Campus Framework document will be shared with the campus community later this spring.

Your input remains critical, perhaps now more than ever, as we approach finalizing a working document that—in coordination with the University’s Academic Strategic Plan—will shape the campus environment and its physical form for decades to come. We want the Syracuse University campus and its community members to continue to thrive in a vibrant campus setting—and your continued support and feedback will help us make that possible.

As always, to learn more about the Campus Framework, please visit campusframework.syr.edu. There, you can provide your feedback and have your questions answered in real time.

Sincerely,

Michele G. Wheatly
Vice Chancellor and Provost

Pete Sala
Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer