Changing the Fast Forward Initiative may not have been a bad thing — if we knew it happened

If you’re not sure what happened to Syracuse University’s Operational Excellence initiative, you’re not alone.

When it comes to funding Syracuse University’s Academic Strategic Plan, Operational Excellence is out and Invest Syracuse is in. Operational Excellence, which incorporated faculty, staff and student input, has been replaced with the administrator-driven Invest Syracuse. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, the problem arises in how Operational Excellence was phased out of existence without notice from the university.

Based on what we know now, there doesn’t appear to be a substantial difference between the two initiatives. They’re both aimed at generating savings and revenue for the Academic Strategic Plan — the university’s vision for academics under the Fast Forward Syracuse initiative. And instead of Operational Excellence’s Steering Committee of limited faculty members, Invest Syracuse has shifted its mode of communication to open forums.

The university could have had reasonable rationale for switching to the administrator-driven Invest Syracuse plan. But we don’t know what worked, what didn’t and what informed the transition. That’s the issue.

Fast Forward is Chancellor Kent Syverud’s trademark initiative and perhaps the most popular plan associated with him. Even then, dropping one of Fast Forward’s major aspects and switching to another may not be news every community member pays attention to, but SU should have been transparent about the transition. Instead, the senior associate vice president for operational excellence quietly retired in July as Invest Syracuse made its debut.

There’s no way of knowing if the work, and community input, put into Operational Excellence all went to waste or if it informed the creation of Invest Syracuse. If it’s the latter, the university should be commended for its adaptability and willingness to move beyond a plan that wasn’t working. But if members of the campus community are left in the dark, they’re bound to assume the worst.

The Daily Orange Editorial Board serves as the voice of the organization and aims to contribute the perspectives of students to discussions that concern Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse community. The editorial board’s stances are determined by a majority of its members. You can read more about the editorial board here.