Construction Underway on Barnes Center at The Arch, New Health and Wellness Complex to Provide Holistic Support to Students

An artist’s rendering of the Barnes Center at The Arch

Construction is now well underway on the Barnes Center at The Arch, a new health and wellness complex that will open in fall 2019. The new complex will provide students, faculty and staff a brand new space to improve their health and engage with a myriad of wellness resources as they balance the rigors of academic life and the pursuit of personal success.

The state-of-the-art complex at the transformed Archbold Gymnasium is designed as a vibrant hub for student services that will provide holistic support with comprehensive medical care, wellness resources and mental health support. The fully accessible complex will bring together the Counseling Center, the Office of Health Promotion, Health Services, Recreation Services and the Office of Student Assistance in one central location, helping to ensure a seamless approach to coordinating student services and promoting collaboration among student offices.

The most vital of services are being consolidated in one place to assist students with access to high-quality health care and comprehensive and holistic mental health, substance abuse, and sexual assault and relationship violence-related services.

“The new Barnes Center at The Arch will be a welcoming, engaging space for all students to find assistance, whether they need a health checkup, mental health counseling, assistance in times of crisis or a place to work out,” says Rob Hradsky, senior associate vice president of the student experience and dean of students. “These new facilities put the focus on the whole student and helping them achieve success inside and outside the classroom through a balanced experience during their time here.”

Just off the Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle, the center will be a convenient location with access to multiple points of assistance, resources and recreational amenities within one facility.

“The Barnes Center at the Arch is going to be a huge step in promoting health and wellness for students,” says Student Association President-elect Ghufran Salih ’20. “I’m so excited for all of the students to have access to this center and utilize the resources; it will be a great way to bring this campus together.”

The Barnes Center at The Arch came to fruition through the generosity of Board of Trustees Chairman Steven W. Barnes ’82 and his wife, Deborah, who saw how a center of coordinated services would benefit students and the campus community.

“This new facility provides a centrally and conveniently located space to house the University’s health and wellness resources that enhance a student’s entire Syracuse University experience,” says Barnes. “Supporting the whole student is vital to a student’s success, both inside and outside the classroom, on campus and beyond.”

Elements of the new Barnes Center include the following:

• The Counseling Center and the Office of Student Assistance will have new state-of-the-art facilities and spaces to accommodate the varied needs of students.
• As a result of the creation of this new space, the University will be able to consolidate all student-facing resources—that currently sit in multiple locations—into one centrally located facility. Included among these resources are the positions the Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience are currently looking to fill, including four therapists, a psychiatrist and a training director to oversee six graduate student trainees and two behavioral health interns from the schools/colleges.
• Health Services will have the latest health care equipment and technology, improving accuracy and providing seamless patient care, along with an increase in patient privacy. A customer care center will separate phone appointments from customer service. A triage area on the first floor will allow immediate assessment to ensure a student is quickly and properly assessed.
• A peer education room will provide a space for peer educators within the Office of Health Promotion to work, study and collaborate. The office oversees 30 peer educators, and plans to expand to approximately 50-75 peer educators by fall 2019. Peer educators will utilize the space to prepare for health and wellness trainings and workshops, package student health and wellness resources, further their continuing education and training, and coordinate campuswide student outreach initiatives.
• There will also be spaces designed for special programming, including meditation, mindfulness programs and other therapies.
• The new complex will also feature a modern multi-floor fitness center, a world-class rock climbing wall, multi-use pool, a multi-activity sports court and fully accessible locker rooms and restrooms.

As part of the Campus Framework, the Barnes Center at The Arch aligns with the University’s goals in the Academic Strategic Plan to “nourish the whole student to support academic, social and emotional well-being.”

“This new facility is a welcome addition to the student experience. The challenges of academic life and just the day-to-day stress as a busy student can be helped by many of the resources that will now all be combined in one convenient location,” says Student Association Vice President-elect Kyle Rosenblum ’20. “As a current sophomore, I have been watching the progression of the plans for the Barnes Center and look forward to taking advantage of many of the resources and facilities my senior year.”

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings and an undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic heart of New York State, with a global footprint, and nearly 150 years of history, Syracuse University offers a quintessential college experience. The scope of Syracuse University is a testament to its strengths: a pioneering history dating back to 1870; a choice of more than 200 majors and 100 minors offered through 13 schools and colleges; nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, please visit www.syracuse.edu.