Continue to strengthen the alignment of resources with the missions and strategic plans of the schools, colleges, and University as a whole.

To fulfill our mission of being a pre-eminent and inclusive student-focused research university, budgeting and resource allocation processes should always align with the University’s mission and strategic plan as well as the missions and strategic plans of schools, colleges, and other units. In this context, the term “resources” includes funding, staffing, facilities/space, and managerial attention. The shared governance of a complex research university like Syracuse requires close cooperation among the faculty, the staff, the leadership, and the board. Responsible parties in these groups should have access to information needed to manage effectively to University priorities. This alignment will allow us to ensure that the processes supporting University priorities are transparent, and that our major expenditures are appropriately aligned with our stated priorities. In particular, we recommend the following methods:

A.  Document the link between the academic strategic plan and each sizeable new initiative using the methods like these to develop a repeatable process:

1. Reference elements of the academic strategic plan and individual unit strategic plans starting with early-stage documentation of new initiatives;
2. Present a cost-benefit analysis with each sizeable new initiative, identifying estimated total costs, proposed source(s) of funds, and potential impact on other priorities;
3. Share early-stage initiative documentation (including cost analysis) with responsible parties among the faculty, Senate, leadership, and the board;

B.  Create a mechanism within the Responsibility Center Management (RCM) budget system to encode strategic themes so that the administration can track and regularly report initiative expenditures and make informed adjustments as needed;

C.  Reinvigorate the RCM committee as an advisory body that periodically recommends adjustments to the RCM system that promote the University’s mission;

D.  To ensure that each senior vice president has a consultative body within the University Senate, continue administrative engagement with the Senate to align the structure and operations of the Chancellor’s executive team with committees of the University Senate;

E.  Develop a document-sharing policy that supports the timely provision of key documentation to appropriate members of the University community;

F.  Publicize and contextualize the annual audited financial report at an appropriate juncture during the academic year; Periodically provide to the University community a long-term overview of critical elements of the University’s fiscal health, such as the status of the endowment, projected maintenance costs, and debt service;

G.  Continue to align Development and Sponsored Programs offices with the academic strategic plan so that funding matches publicized academic and research priorities in addition to individual faculty scholarship, teaching, and unit specific needs;

H.  Continue to leverage the relationship and shared resources of athletics, functional units, and co-curricular programs with the academic enterprise to exemplify the One University theme within the academic strategic plan.