The Syracuse University Division of Business, Finance and Administrative Services is entering the second phase of its four-part strategic planning process to review its operations and unite SU’s administrative and financial units in support of the Academic Strategic Plan.

After the creation of its steering committee as part of the first phase, which began in September, phase two aims to gather feedback from campus community members on how the division can align its goals with those of large-scale university initiatives, including the Academic Strategic Plan, Campus Framework and Invest Syracuse.

The Academic Strategic Plan — part of Chancellor Kent Syverud’s three-part Fast Forward Syracuse initiative — outlines goals to meet an overarching academic vision, which includes research, infrastructure and the student experience, in the coming years.

As a leader of the division, Amir Rahnamay-Azar, senior vice president and chief financial officer at SU, is responsible for identifying its priorities, which include the overarching goals of efficiency and synergy.

“The alignment of the BFAS units in a unified strategic direction is essential to the success of other University initiatives,” Rahnamay-Azar said in an email.

BFAS’s strategic plan aims to:

• Establish goals for BFAS that align with SU’s goals
• Implement a plan that complements the goals of the Academic Strategic Plan as well as SU’s 20-year Campus Framework infrastructure plan and the Invest Syracuse funding initiative
• Improve service practices with industry standards
• Provide a framework for measuring the plan’s success
• Gather input from the SU community on its needs and concerns regarding BFAS

The outreach process involves an online survey distributed to a targeted audience, not a campus-wide survey, Rahnamay-Azar said.

Then, the steering committee, which is made up of divisional leaders, including Tony Callisto, senior vice president and chief law enforcement officer; Pete Sala, vice president and chief facilities officer; Jamie Cyr, director of auxiliary services; and other leaders from BFAS, plans to address feedback using focus groups with members of the SU community.

Student and faculty leaders, administrators and staff are expected to be consulted. Rahnamay-Azar said additional feedback will also be collected after the initial plan is drafted.

“We hope the community will support our efforts and will consider the variety of ways BFAS units serve our institution and community and provide open and honest feedback in the interest of ongoing improvements,” Rahnamay-Azar said.

The third phase of the planning process will prioritize and determine the direction the division will take for the draft of the plan based on campus feedback. The fourth and final phase will include drafting BFAS’ strategic plan. The plan will change as the university’s needs do and act as a living document, Rahnamay-Azar said, and that the division’s approach will emphasize community participation in the development of the plan.

Said Rahnamay-Azar: “We are committed to taking advantage of any meaningful opportunity to engage.”

Published on October 24, 2017 at 10:25 pm

Contact Joshua: jcarney@syr.edu