Students, faculty and staff discussed how Syracuse University should make use of its Fridays both in and outside of the classroom, as well as ideas for the university’s future at Tuesday’s Fast Forward open forum.

The forum was held in Maxwell Auditorium and focused on the Strategic Plan’s vision and mission statement, both of which reflect on the university’s strengths and weaknesses in order to develop a plan for its academic future.

The forum was led by Ken Kavajecz, a member of the Strategic Plan Steering Committee and dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, and Katie McDonald, also a member of the Steering Committee and an associate professor of public health, food studies and nutrition. Other members of the committee were also in the audience, including Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric Spina, Lorraine Branham, dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and SU Director of Athletics Daryl Gross.

Less than five minutes into the forum, several members of Divest SU and ESF filed into the auditorium carrying signs urging the university to divest from fossil fuels. Students of Sustainability President Lizzy Kahn made the first comment of the evening when she asked how sustainability would be figured into the Strategic Plan.

“I want to reiterate that this forum is about listening,” Kavajecz said. “I would argue as a university community, we are supportive of what you’re talking about, but this forum is set up to honor the ideas about where we want to go as a university.”

James Kallmerten, a professor of chemistry, said students could explore sustainability, as well as other academic interests, if the university established an office where undergraduates could apply for research grants and learn how to write proposals.

The discussion later turned to the greater relationship between student life and academic activities — specifically, how SU’s No. 1 party school ranking has affected students’ academic focus.

More and more students don’t have Friday classes, which promotes the notion that SU supports a “three-day party weekend,” said Matthew Mulvaney, an associate professor of child and family studies. The Strategic Plan Steering Committee’s vision of the university being focused on academic rigor should then be used to transform it from a party school, he said.

But other audience members said the ranking isn’t reflective of the student body’s work ethic and desire to be engaged outside of the classroom. Sandra Hewett, a professor of biology, said students still take Friday classes, but may also use that day to accomplish out-of-class research or pursue internship opportunities.

Hewett said she also serves as an adviser to students and often has to encourage them not to take 20 credits per semester, adding that students will opt for a heavier academic load because they feel pressured to graduate early and with distinctions. Students can benefit from free time or just by taking a course outside of their department, she said.

Jason Ashley, a senior citizenship and civic engagement major, said he believes students should take classes on Fridays, but that professors could also invite their class to events that engage students in atypical ways.

“Don’t just let us go out and do whatever on Fridays, but offer us something,” Ashley said. “Invite us to go to conferences or to events where students can collaborate.”

Of the Strategic Plan’s seven working groups, Spina said after the forum that the Undergraduate Excellence group would most likely deal with student scheduling, such as how students spend their Fridays.

The Strategic Plan’s vision also focuses on how SU presents itself to peer institutions and prospective students. Audience members suggested ideas such as strengthening the university’s liberal arts core, requiring students to have an internship or construct a thesis and reinforcing SU’s global presence.

Kavajecz said the Steering Committee would consider all of the suggestions from the forum and the Fast Forward website when composing the drafts submitted to the Board of Trustees. The online comments section for the vision and mission statement closes Oct. 1, he said.

Published on September 30, 2014 at 10:44 pm

Contact Annie: apalme05@syr.edu