The global economy is changing rapidly, and what it takes to prepare to successfully navigate life and career is changing too. Over the next five years, Syracuse University will invest $100 million—as part of Invest Syracuse: Advancing Academic Excellence and the Student Experience—to provide all undergraduate students with a distinctive, world-class learning experience that prepares them for professional and personal success. Integral to this effort, the University will redefine the student experience at Syracuse in our classrooms; beyond Syracuse’s campus via internships, experiential learning or studying abroad; and after Syracuse, through programs that strategically connect our newest alumni to the skills, advice, mentorship and network of our engaged alumni community.
We will do this by investing in both academic and research opportunities for undergraduates and in the support and enrichment services that help students thrive as they tackle the rigors of college while also nourishing their health and well-being. This will involve:
Strengthening academic support and career advising by:
- Providing comprehensive and integrated academic and career guidance through integration, cross training and coordination of all activities across all schools and colleges.
- Expanding personalized one-on-one and small group academic tutoring sessions.
- Developing customized plans for students as early as their first year to track academic course work in alignment with graduate school, professional school and career goals.
Enhancing access to health and wellness services and resources by:
- Tailoring plans to meet the unique needs of today’s students to support their mental health and physical and spiritual needs.
- Bolstering collaboration between student life, academic affairs and Hendricks Chapel to create a seamless approach to learning, advising, counseling and engagement.
- Transforming all health, wellness and recreation services and creating The Barnes Center at the Arch as one fully accessible, centrally located facility.
Creating dynamic learning and discovery experiences beyond campus by:
- Guaranteeing need-based financial aid and academic planning support to ensure every student interested in pursuing an international experience has the opportunity to study abroad one time during their academic career.
- Identifying new study abroad opportunities to allow students from schools and colleges in which study abroad participation has historically been low to experience studying internationally.
- Launching the Internship Connection Fund, a unique and distinctive scholarship program to expand access to internship opportunities locally, nationally and globally for students across all schools, colleges and academic disciplines. This fund will help qualified students pay for housing, meals and transportation during the life of their internship.
- Expanding experiential learning opportunities—in surrounding neighborhoods, and across the state, country and world—to immerse students in service learning opportunities.
- Enhancing immersion experiences that allow students to explore new cities and connect with companies and employment opportunities to build their professional skills and networks.
Positioning students after graduation for a lifetime of career and personal success by:
- Fostering a cross-campus collaborative that includes Alumni Engagement, Academic and Career Advising, and the advancement offices in the schools and colleges to formalize a networking community that connects students and young alumni to internship and career opportunities.
- Enhancing the OrangeLink job and internship database and create a 21st-century career success portal where students and young alumni can access real-time support as they create resumes, apply for internships and jobs and navigate the application process.
- Developing a comprehensive graduate school resource center that supports students interested in pursuing medical school, law school, professional schools and other advanced degree opportunities.
Student Stories: