Syracuse University to use $7 million Miron donation to connect Dome with Barnes Center

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University will use a $7 million donation for a project to connect the Carrier Dome and the Barnes Center at the Arch and for a fund to support the school’s libraries.

Life trustee Robert Miron, a 1959 graduate, and his wife, Diane, donated the funding, Syracuse said in a Monday news release. The donation is one of “several” seven-figure gifts recently made to the school, Syracuse noted.

“I’ve been a part of the Syracuse University community for more than six decades and never have I seen a more exciting time on campus,” Robert Miron said in the university’s release. “From the implementation of a visionary Academic Strategic Plan to the physical transformation of facilities, Syracuse University, led by Chancellor Kent Syverud, is redefining the University’s future, reimagining the student experience and making strategic investments to accelerate the achievement of its ambitious goals.”

Victory Court

The Mirons have supported many academic programs, university initiatives, and athletic endeavors over the years. Their most recent gift will support the construction of Victory Court, which will physically connect the Barnes Center at the Arch and the Dome, “ultimately changing the footprint” of the 40-year-old facility.

Victory Court represents “a key piece” of the Dome renovation effort, or what the school is calling the “Stadium Project,” per the release. Victory Court, an enclosed pedestrian thruway, will be named in honor of the Mirons.

Syracuse has not yet determined a schedule for the construction of Victory Court, as the project must first go through the university’s capital projects governance process.

The scope of the “Stadium Project” includes a new fixed roof, a vertically hung scoreboard, “state-of-the-art” sound and lighting systems, improved accessibility, and the installation of air conditioning, the school noted.

“The Stadium Project is progressing well and every day we get closer and closer to a transformed stadium experience,” Syracuse Director of Athletics John Wildhack said in the news release. “After years of soliciting feedback from students, faculty, staff, fans and alumni, I am thrilled to see this exciting vision starting to take shape. The Mirons are longtime supporters of Syracuse Athletics and have been instrumental in elevating our status as a powerhouse program whose success on the playing fields is second only to the success our student-athletes have in the classrooms, labs and in their communities.”

Libraries fund

The donation will also support the creation of the Diane and Bob Miron Fund for Academic Success in the Libraries.

Diane Miron says supporting the Syracuse libraries was an “easy decision,” as she currently serves on the libraries advisory board. The new Diane and Bob Miron Fund for Academic Success will support any academic and student success initiatives within the libraries, “including but not limited to” entrepreneurship efforts. Those efforts include the Blackstone LaunchPad, student services, technology enhancements, and the creation and maintenance of student spaces.

In honor of the Mirons’ philanthropy, the Libraries Learning Commons on the first floor will be named in their honor.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com