The disconnect between Syracuse University’s colleges has led to many problems on campus, including inconsistent branding, a redundancy in staffing and an overall lack of identity.

On Friday, SU released a report from Bain & Co, an independent consulting firm, which analyzed the areas in which the university can improve. The report outlined 16 points ranging from the university’s lack of strategic plan to how SU’s tuition compares to other schools.

Although the report identified multiple ways the university can improve, SU should prioritize the issues surrounding the disconnect between the separate colleges on campus.

The inconsistent branding across colleges creates a division. This division suggests SU is not a cohesive unit and detracts from an overall identity. The report found that “Syracuse University” does not appear in many individual school logos or websites. SU should work to centralize the image projected from the separate schools to create a more cohesive outward appearance.

The disconnect between the colleges goes beyond the issues of the university’s branding.The report stated there is a redundancy in staffing due to the lack of communication between colleges. A lack of central systems has led the colleges to develop their own resources. For example, although there is an entirely dedicated IT department, each school has its own as well. Through better organization or by establishing shared services, SU could reduce costs and increase efficiency in these areas.

An overall lack of identity is also a longstanding problem for SU. On Feb. 25, the university sent out a survey to students in an attempt to better understand the existing image of the university. With the results of the Bain report also showing that SU is lacking an overarching vision, the university needs to make it a priority to create a cohesive identity.

SU is multi-faceted in what it has to offer students and that is a major strength. However, the university needs to ensure that being multi-faceted does not create a disconnection.

For SU to move forward and address all the areas that need improvement, the university needs to first focus on centralizing its brand and better organizing how staff is utilized.  These changes should bring the university closer to establishing an overarching identity.

Published on April 28, 2014 at 1:00 am