The Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology in downtown Syracuse.
Students will flood the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (MOST) on Saturday night for late night programming thanks to a new partnership with the University’s Orange After Dark program. The museum, located in downtown Syracuse, will be open especially for Syracuse University students. A $3 ticket, purchased through the Box Office in the Women’s Building, includes entry to the full museum, an interactive mystery activity, access to the planetarium shows, food and transportation.
“It’s always fun to do a new event, and it’s always exciting to introduce students to cool places in the community they might not have explored if we didn’t provide the reason and affordable option to do so,” says Courtney Jones, associate director in the Office of Student Activities.”
This new event at the MOST is a part of a newly expanded Orange After Dark that launched this fall semester. Previously, Orange After Dark hosted one to two events per weekend, in addition to the late-night movie and recreation options. The events were both on and off campus, always included food and never costed students more than $3. With those core features holding true, Orange After Dark is now providing three events per weekend through funding provided by Invest Syracuse.
“When you expand programming it’s a leap of faith,” says Jones. “As we have expanded, students continue to show up in the same numbers to even more events. We’re providing programming that is driven by students.”
As Orange After Dark searched for new partnerships in the community to add to its expanded programming, the MOST presented a perfect match. This year, the museum launched NightLAB, programming designed for adults to enjoy an evening out and explore scientific concepts while having a great time.
Simultaneously, Bea González, vice president for community engagement and special assistant to Chancellor Kent Syverud, was having regular meetings with the MOST to establish a relationship with the University and the museum, understanding how the two could work together. González soon set up a meeting between Jones and the MOST, connecting campus to community.
“I value and am enjoying the opportunity to broker my relationships and expand those relationships to involve others at the University. And to get others in the community to meet folks at the University,” says González. “Orange After Dark is a good opportunity to bring students and the community together and promote local cultural institutions while providing our students healthy, fun experiences.”
This is not the end of the MOST’s partnership with Syracuse University. Gonzalez is continually finding campus partners to connect with the community, so stay tuned.
