Upstate’s Laraque-Arena says College of Nursing move into new building is part of school’s “vision”

SYRACUSE — Upstate Medical University’s newest structure, Academic Building, is “not just a building,” said Dr. Danielle Laraque-Arena, president of Upstate Medical University, who spoke during the building’s formal opening event on Sept. 7.

“It is what houses our thoughts and our collective actions to do what a health-science university must do, which is at the end of that rainbow … a healthier community,” said Laraque-Arena.

Upstate Medical’s vision is for “interprofessional education, bringing the College of Nursing right in the middle of our academic hub,” said Laraque-Arena.

The medical school’s College of Nursing is moving operations to the Academic Building, the newest structure on the medical school’s campus.

The Academic Building is situated between Weiskotten Hall and Silverman Hall on the west side of the medical school’s campus.

The College of Nursing, which has been operating at 545 Cedar St. in Syracuse (between Almond Street and Irving Avenue) is still in the process of moving into its new home, Darryl Geddes, Upstate Medical’s director of public and media relations, said in a Sept. 23 email response to a HealthCare Provider inquiry.

Besides the College of Nursing, the 80,000-square-foot structure will house select programs of the College of Health Professions and serve as a site for courses in the College of Medicine, Upstate Medical said in a news release.

The $40.5 million, 5-story academic building boasts “state of the art” classrooms and learning technology, space for student gathering, and a café.

Baltimore, Maryland–based Whiting-Turner served as the construction manager, while Latham, New York–based Bette & Cring was the general contractor on the project. EwingCole of Philadelphia was the architect.

The medical school is also pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the silver level from the U.S. Green Building Council for the facility.

The building’s fourth floor features a large multi-function space, able to accommodate up to 349 seats, and which can be divided to create two teaching spaces for 75 to 200 students.

Upstate Medical describes the room as the “largest classroom on the campus.” The west facing wall of this room is all windows, the school added.

The lowest level provides space for a new steam-generation plant for the south campus and a chilled-water plant that will be connected to the Weiskotten Hall Addition/Weiskotten Hall complex, and other building systems.

The building is located west of the Weiskotten Hall addition, connecting the Weiskotten complex with Silverman Hall and Upstate University Hospital.

A mezzanine connects the bridge to the hospital with elevators and stairs and provides a corridor for circulation to Silverman Hall.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com