While maintaining components of Nancy Cantor’s former chancellorship, Chancellor Kent Syverud should emphasize more student- and campus-oriented issues.

As Syverud begins his tenure as chancellor, he should focus on small efforts to serve as a visible campus figure for students.

By living in a Brewster/Boland/Brockway residence hall room for a week at the beginning of the semester, Syverud has taken the initiative to learn about life as a Syracuse University student. This is a step in the right direction in making himself an accessible and approachable leader.

While dean of the law school at Washington University in St. Louis, Syverud took time to hold weekly office hours. He should establish the same initiative at SU. This will allow students the opportunity to get to know the chancellor and voice their concerns directly to the leader of their university.

While chancellor, Syverud should tighten admission acceptance standards and lower the number of accepted students. Doing so could improve the university’s rankings, which, according to U.S. News and World Report, has slipped from a high of No. 40 among national universities in the 1990s to No. 62 in fall 2011, where it remains. Improving the ranking could make the university more attractive to prospective students.

Decreasing the number of accepted students could also improve the overall quality of education at SU. Robert Norman Van Gulick, professor of philosophy and former member of the University Senate budget committee, stated that by steadily increasing the number of students at SU, “instruction is strained a little thinner. We’ve added faculty, but not at the same rate…[SU] cannot add more students and provide quality instruction,” according to a Sept. 18 article from The Post-Standard.

Syverud should also involve himself with the athletics department by taking a lead role in the academic success of SU athletes. The Senate began reorganizing the handling of athletics and academics by removing student-athlete academics from SU Athletics’ control last year. Syverud should continue this process to improve the university’s reputation regarding student-athlete academic performance.
While there are many necessary changes to be made, Syverud should also work to build on the initiatives started under Cantor.

Although the university is removed from the city, it plays a role in its economics and culture. Syverud should continue his predecessor’s efforts to further the university’s relationship with the city, so long as this endeavor does not take away from his work with the university, its students and staff.

Though Syverud should maintain components of Cantor’s chancellorship, he should work to develop his own area of expertise during his tenure at SU.

Published on January 13, 2014 at 2:23 am

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