For nearly 10 months, several of your fellow community members in the College of Arts and Sciences have been working tirelessly to develop a draft academic strategic plan that honors the legacy of and builds upon the College’s longstanding commitment to research and discovery, educational excellence and diversity and inclusion. Working groups, focused on these three foundational strengths, met frequently to discuss and recommend their vision for the College’s future. These reports, combined with feedback from the department chairs, informed the creation of the draft plan. You can read it by clicking here.

Though significant work has been done, there is still much work for us to do. This plan remains incomplete without input from the entire College community. Your participation is a vital part of the planning process. Your collective feedback will inform the refinement process as we work to deliver our final submission to Vice Chancellor and Provost Michele Wheatly by Oct. 15.

There are two ways you can submit your observations and recommendations. They are:

1. Attend our town hall meeting on Monday, Oct. 2 from 3:45-5:15 p.m. at Gifford Auditorium. The Strategic Planning committee will be there to answer questions and concerns and, more importantly, source your feedback.
2. Participate in a brief anonymous survey. All we ask is that you identify whether you are a student, staff member or faculty member. You can access the survey by clicking here. The deadline for feedback is Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 5 p.m.

 As you read the working draft, please consider carefully the overarching goals of this important work:

• The plan seeks to expand and enhance the academic mission of the College and to increase funding and resources.
• The plan aims to be visionary and proactive and hopes to inspire faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumni, and donors.
• The plan is intended to align with and support the six major themes outlined in the Syracuse University Academic Strategic Plan. These are:
  • student experience;
  • discovery;
  • internationalization;
  • commitment to veterans;
  • innovation; and
  • One University.

For questions or concerns about the survey email casstrat@syr.edu.