It might seem odd to some Central New Yorkers that the president of one Syracuse-area College is going to study at another. But that’s exactly what Le Moyne’s top official will be doing.
Le Moyne College President Linda LeMura has long thought about ways local colleges might work together for the benefit of students … and the whole community. A fellowship at Syracuse University starting next week is going to give her a chance to do some of that research.
“Prior to COVID I had some burning ideas about how the institutions of higher learning in Central New York could better use their intellectual resources on a wide range of important initiatives that would redound well on our community but also on our individual institutions.”
She notes each school has a different culture: S-U a research institution with worldwide reach, SUNY E-S-F with it’s environmental mission; and Le Moyne, focused on social justice and stewardship. Climate change is one area in which the schools could focus. In addition, proposals to help businesses would resonate twofold.
“There has to be new ways that we can leverage the intellectual resources to help the businesses in the regions without selling our academic souls and worrying that our missions would be diluted. To the contrary, we’re all worried about enabling the greater good, (and) helping our students enter into a robust economy.”
LeMura can also see potential impact on one of the area’s most pressing problems.
“There is so much we can do yet to help break the bonds of poverty by establishing clear and compelling networks between our institutions, so proposals along that line. And it’s also just imperative or our institutions to understand our individual strengths, but we don’t take the time to understand the bench strength and how we can break the barriers of bricks and mortar.”
Success for the research sabbatical, to her, would mean what she calls 'clear and compelling networks' to help students, particularly those from economically distressed backgrounds, and joint research proposals that move the needle on key issues facing the community.
