Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud and SUNY-ESF President Quentin Wheeler announced on Wednesday the two schools will partner to increase their academic and research-based offerings.

Syverud and Wheeler — who both took office of their respective school in January 2014 — plan on enhancing academic offerings through the creation of joint academic, curricular and research-based initiatives, according to an SU News release.

While the two schools will be pursuing new joint projects, students at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry will still have access to many of the same academic and student life-related activities and services at SU, according to the release.

“Both Syracuse and ESF are top national research schools that attract exceptional students and faculty,” Syverud said in the release. “It is important that both schools equally recognize each other’s strengths and areas of excellence.”

Syverud added in the release that this partnership will allow both SU and SUNY-ESF to create new academic research opportunities that will make both schools better. He said it will also benefit the city of Syracuse, Onondaga County and all of central New York moving forward.

“It is an exciting time for ESF and Syracuse University as we build on a century of mutual respect and collegiality to reimagine what two great institutions can do working together for common goals,” Wheeler said in the release. “The Chancellor and I are committed to identifying and advancing areas of shared interest, encouraging and enabling collaborative research and scholarship, and maintaining the rich cultural and intellectual community on the Hill.”

Syverud and Wheeler will each appoint faculty members from their respective schools who will work together this spring to further develop the framework that will guide this partnership, according to the release. These faculty members will be asked to identify an initial set of academic and research-based recommendations that could be implemented at the beginning of the 2016-17 academic year.

These faculty appointments will be announced later in the spring 2016 semester, according to the release.

Syverud and Wheeler also announced the framework for a new five-year services agreement between SU and SUNY-ESF, according to the release. Under the agreement, SU will continue to provide student recreational services, library services, student affairs/student activity services, disability services and information technology services to SUNY-ESF.

In addition, the agreement includes instructional services, allowing students from each school to enroll in classes at the other school, according to the release.

Because of the increasing usage and anticipated demand expressed by SU, the two schools have also agreed that SUNY-ESF — with transitional assistance from SU — will make health and wellness services available to its students from other sources at the beginning of the 2016-17 academic year, according to the release.

SU has agreed to assist SUNY-ESF as well as it begins to provide information technology services directly to its students, faculty and staff, according to the release. The IT transition will be completed over multiple years.

Syverud and Wheeler will continue discussions evaluating the partnership throughout the 2015-16 academic year, according to the release.

Published on January 15, 2016 at 9:59 pm

Contact Sara: smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann