Chancellor Kent Syverud’s Tuesday address to the university community at large is an admirable starting point for the Syracuse University administration to improve intra-university transparency in 2017.

The concept of the address echoes the formal State of the University speeches of the past, before the annual events stopped during former Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s tenure. The administration’s decision to hold a campus-wide address provides a platform for Syverud to comment on the most pressing issues relating to the university: its fiscal state and the status of the Fast Forward Syracuse initiative.

The university should be commended for organizing an accessible event that will allow its chief leader to formally and directly discuss the state of SU with the university’s most important stakeholders: its students, faculty and staff. The address will hopefully allow these community members to narrow their focus on university issues and understand the scope of the ongoing initiatives that will affect the future of SU in respect to academics and campus life.

Syverud’s address will ideally provide substantial updates on these initiatives and actual information regarding SU’s fiscal state, particularly after the university’s controversial decision to construct a multimillion-dollar cross-campus promenade in the fall.

Regardless of the content of Syverud’s message, the address itself is a push forward for transparency. In order for the administration to genuinely work toward a campus environment with this dialogue, though, it is important for the SU community at large to pull its own weight.

University stakeholders who hope to see the administration address certain issues should either attend Syverud’s address or watch the provided stream, think critically of what is said and have questions. By showing up to the address, SU community members will send a signal to the administration that people are invested in decisions that affect the university at large.

Yes, transparency transcends a much-needed and long-awaited direct address from the head of the university. But a legitimate culture of transparency requires stakeholders who are willing to not only voice their opinions, but make sure they are seen and heard.