Enhance the student experience for all Syracuse students to enable achievement of the University’s mission, vision and academic strategic plan.

A major theme of the academic strategic plan is the student experience, which aims to provide all students with a world-class experience that prepares them for future success. Within that theme, three goals aim to ensure students have support structures that sustain an inclusive, accessible campus environment for diverse students, that meets the unique needs of graduate students and post-graduate associates, and that nourish the whole student’s academic, social, and emotional well-being. The University has made progress in achieving these goals as outlined in this self-study report. Yet, additional progress is needed to fulfill the commitments of the academic strategic plan.

A.  Address the inequities and navigational hazards that result from decentralized student support mechanisms by providing integrated coordination of student support; Areas to be coordinated include orientation, advising, counseling, career placement, and internal communications, among others; Efforts currently underway to address these challenges include creation of a new Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience, creation of a one-stop health and wellness service center for students, establishment of the Center for Learning and Student Success, and the successful recent recruitment of a senior vice president of communications and marketing; Continue and extend these integration efforts and assessment of related outcomes;

B.  Formally integrate the University’s academic assistance functions under one organizational structure to ensure that students can reach the right academic services (e.g., tutoring) at the right time based on their academic performance and aspirations;

C.  Provide enhanced opportunities to support graduate students’ career placement, research, and teaching with collaboration among Career Services, the Graduate School, and the Slutzker Center for International Services; Likewise, continue to create programs, such as the recently enacted child care subsidy for full-time graduate students, to support graduate student success;

D.  Continue to enhance undergraduate career placement, internship and research opportunities, and support services such as the Slutzker Center for International Services;

E.  Continue to support and implement Orange SUccess, Degree Works, Accommodate, and other technologies that aid with advising and student records.