Reviving Syracuse into a prosperous city is the responsibility of Syracuse University students and faculty, Chancellor Nancy Cantor said Saturday in a speech on SU’s role as an anchor for the community.

‘We are a place-based institution,’ Cantor said. ‘We’re talking about connections, talking about a two-way street between this institution and its place.’

Cantor and five SU staff members spoke to a nearly full auditorium of students and parents during Family Weekend in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium on ‘Education for the World, In the World: Syracuse University as an Anchor Institution.’ The event unveiled the efforts in the community led by SU faculty and students, as well as a plan to increase community involvement in the future.

Cantor said the university’s motto of Scholarship in Action involves making a difference in the community right away, while learning at the same time.

SU and Syracuse heavily influence each other, meaning the university affects the entire community, Cantor said. In turn, SU has a key role in making Syracuse a prosperous city again, she said.

‘Art, technology and design all can contribute to the rebirth of an urban center like Syracuse,’ Cantor said.

Through these contributions, as well as through education, SU has stepped up to improve the community. Cantor said there is a way for everyone to contribute.

‘The question is: How do I plug in? How can I make a difference?’ she said.

The panel discussion of SU faculty addressed the various ways SU has been making a difference.

Steve Davis, chair of the newspaper and online journalism department at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, talked about The Stand, his newspaper on campus that covers Syracuse’s South Side and reports on the more positive aspects of the community that are usually overlooked.

Davis said The Stand helps break down stereotypes on both sides — those that define college students as overprivileged and arrogant and those that define the South Side as dangerous and crime ridden.

Having SU students involved in the community promotes understanding about the city, Davis said.

‘Don’t report your stories, experience your stories,’ Davis said he tells his writers at The Stand.

University faculty and community members are also being brought together through the Youth Writing Conference, said Marcelle Haddix, an assistant professor at the School of Education.

Last year, the first annual Youth Writing Conference was held to improve literacy in the Syracuse area. Haddix said the second conference would be later this year.

Students have also become involved in the city through programs like the School of Architecture’s work on the Near Westside.

Julia Czerniak, an associate professor of architecture, spoke about one class that spanned three semesters, during which students designed and built a full-size house.

She said students have also worked to beautify the Connective Corridor, which runs from the university past Armory Square. Students competed to redesign the area, and the best entry was put into effect for the corridor.

The Near Westside has also been a site of ‘green’ construction, said Ed Bogucz, executive director of the Syracuse Center of Excellence and former SU dean of engineering and computer science.

Bogucz stressed sustainability as a key goal for any area, especially an urban one, and talked about From the Ground Up, an initiative to build more environmentally friendly homes in the Near Westside.

For students, becoming involved in the community is vital for their success, said Shiu-Kai Chin, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science.

Chin, who was the final speaker on the panel, said students cannot buy or create more time, and they should work toward understanding and becoming involved in the community as soon as possible.

To advise students, Chin quoted NASA Lt. Col. Eileen Collins, an SU alumna and the first woman to command a space shuttle.

‘The secret to success is competence,’ he said. ‘Know your mission, know your job, know your people.’

spcotter@syr.edu

Published on September 26, 2010 at 12:00 pm