Michele G. Wheatly, vice chancellor and provost, and Pete Sala, vice president and chief facilities officer, convened the first Campus Facilities Advisory Board (CFAB) meeting of the 2017-18 academic year. Wheatly and Sala, the CFAB co-chairs, and Cathryn Newton, special advisor to the Chancellor and the provost and lead faculty advisor to the board, facilitated a 90-minute conversation on Friday, Sept. 8, at the Office of Campus Planning, Design and Construction (CPDC).
The CFAB is charged with assessing all academic and non-academic investments and ensuring alignment between the Academic Strategic Plan and the Campus Framework. The CFAB members discussed a number of priorities and initiatives. Chief among them was a discussion around the creation of an accessibility subcommittee to focus specifically on removing physical barriers on the Syracuse University campus.
“Syracuse University’s efforts to enhance diversity, inclusion and accessibility are steeped in its commitment to ensure all members of our campus community feel welcome, supported and empowered,” says Wheatly. “To provide a consistent experience for all students, faculty and staff, the CFAB is dedicated to identifying opportunities to increase accessibility across all the University’s campus, both inside and outside the classroom.”
The accessibility subcommittee, which will meet regularly, will consist of students, faculty and staff. The subcommittee will provide recommendations to the CFAB; the members will subsequently discuss and consider those suggestions during upcoming meetings.
The CFAB addressed a number of other issues during its first meeting, including reviewing the construction completed during the summer months. Several members of the board praised the work completed by Sala’s team over the summer and congratulated the team on a job well done.
“Pete’s team did excellent work all over campus this summer, but especially in the Hall of Languages, our campus’ oldest and most iconic building,” says Karin Ruhlandt, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Students from all schools and colleges and across all academic disciplines take courses in the Hall of Languages. The renovated classrooms and upgraded technology have instantly improved the student experience. I am grateful the Hall of Languages was prioritized this summer and look forward to seeing phase two accomplished next year.”
Members of the CFAB also received a briefing from CPDC staff about the new and improved intake process, which will be used to facilitate construction requests moving forward. The process was established as the result of important conversations with deans and senior leaders. It will be introduced to the campus community in coming weeks and aims to streamline the construction request and review process.
As a new academic year gets underway, Wheatly and Sala have added three new members to the board, including:
Returning members of the Campus Facilities Advisory Board are:
The next CFAB meeting is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 13. To learn more about the board’s charge and to read the full Campus Framework, please visit http://CampusFramework.syr.edu.
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