In honor of Chancellor Kent Syverud’s inauguration, Syracuse University students will have a chance to receive funding to bring their ideas to life.

SU is hosting Fast Forward, a competition in which students submit video pitches for potential projects. Up to 12 entries will be chosen to receive a grant for up to $1,500 from SU to pursue the projects, according to its website.

The proposals will also be presented at an event during Syverud’s inauguration festivities on April 11, according to the website. Winners will be notified on April 7 at 10 a.m.

As Syverud and the university leadership team were thinking about the day, the chancellor wanted to bring attention to the students, said Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs.

“He made it very clear that he wanted part of the day to specifically focus just on the students in a way that would allow our students an opportunity to showcase their academic and entrepreneurial talents in a big way,” he said.

Syverud had a vision of the opportunity he wanted to present to students, but it took a couple of weeks to develop into Fast Forward, Quinn added.

An email notifying students of the competition was sent Monday. The email included a link to a promotional video featuring Brad Slavin, a senior television, radio and film and information and systems management major, and Natalie Wiesnet, a junior TRF major. Slavin said he and Wiesnet were asked last week to be student representatives for the competition.

Slavin said students can pursue many ideas for the competition, from art exhibits to research projects.

“It’s all about passion projects,” he said. “Everybody has a passion project that they’re just waiting for the support for, and there are some programs that have better funding or support than others, so this might be an opportunity for those students. It’s really all about what you want to do.”

Quinn said the competition has already received entries.

The School of Information Studies has been helping to run the competition, Quinn said. J.D. Ross, the director of communications at the iSchool, said in an email that someone in Syverud’s office approached Dean Elizabeth Liddy to provide a team to assist the planning of the competition. He and four other iSchool staff members were asked to join, Ross said.

“The iSchool was happy to help with the planning of this very important part of the Chancellor’s inauguration day events,” he said.

The inauguration committee will judge the competition, Quinn said, with students, faculty, staff and alumni from all of SU’s colleges. Syverud will also have input.

Slavin said students should enter the competition because it is a great opportunity to make an idea a reality.

“Why should students apply?” he asked. “Why wouldn’t they want to apply?”

Published on March 5, 2014 at 2:02 am

Contact Ellen: ekmeyers@syr.edu | @ellenkmeyers