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Syracuse University has created a steering committee of administrators to carry out its “Leading With Distinction” academic strategic plan, according to a Wednesday news release. It has also established five “thematic groups” that will monitor SU’s adherence to the five key points of the ASP.

Provost Gretchen Ritter will oversee the new committee as its chair. She and 18 other administrators — including the deans of several colleges — will audit the university’s adherence to the goals outlined in the ASP. The thematic groups will be chaired and co-led by steering committee members.

The thematic groups will monitor the five “key aspects” of Leading with Distinction: curricular; diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; research transformation and STEM expansion; enrollment innovation as well as veterans.

These core tenets reflect the language featured in the ASP, which also divided its goals into five categories: emerging technologies, human thriving, global diversity, experiential inquiry and engaged citizenship.

“‘Leading With Distinction’ reflects deep engagement from our University community. I am grateful to the individuals who are serving on the steering committee and thematic groups for their continued commitment to the plan and its successful implementation,” Ritter wrote in the release.

In Sept. 2022, SU announced it would create an updated ASP, and released its first draft later that academic year. Before unveiling its final draft of the ASP in Sept. 2023, SU held a symposium where it publicly presented its objectives and gauged feedback from community members in February.

Jamie Winders, SU’s associate provost for faculty affairs, visited multiple on-campus governing bodies, such as the Student Association and University Senate, to discuss the ASP throughout the fall semester. Winders will be the chair of the “Veterans Thematic Group” on the steering committee, according to the university.

Winders, along with several other SU administrators, held a forum during an SA meeting on Nov. 13, collecting insight from assembly members on student concerns surrounding the ASP. She also held a similar session during SU’s Graduate Student Organization’s Dec. 6 meeting.

The new groups and committees will also have representatives from faculty, staff and students, according to SU’s website.

Community members can find more information about the steering committees and thematic groups — including a list of its members — on the ASP website. The university will also post future updates surrounding the plan’s implementation on the website, according to the release.

Published on January 31, 2024 at 11:56 pm

Contact Julia: jmboehni@syr.edu