News

Senior Vice President and Chief Campus Facilities Officer Pete Sala provided the following update to campus regarding construction projects continuing or beginning on campus over the summer 2025 semester:

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

As the summer semester begins, I want to provide a quick status update on the construction projects underway or soon to begin on campus this summer. Some of the most exciting work completed by the Office of Campus Planning, Design and Construction involves moving forward with two of the University’s major strategic initiatives. 

There will be quite a bit of construction this summer as part of the execution of the comprehensive housing strategy. These include:

• Orange Hall Phase Two Renovation: Completion of student room renovations on the lower floors and construction of floor lounges on all floors. 
• 544 University Place: At the site of the new residence hall along Ostrom Avenue, clearing of the site has begun, and site work, utility work and foundation construction will take place this summer.  
• Comstock Avenue Residence Hall: Demolition of the Comstock Avenue Garage will take place early this summer, to clear the site for construction to commence later in the summer.
• Waverly Avenue Residence Hall and Dining Center: Demolition of Kimmel and Marion halls has been completed, and the site is clear for construction to commence later in the summer. 

Multiple projects related to the expansion of the College of Engineering and Computer Science will take place over the summer:

• 100 Sims Drive: Transformation of the former Biological Research Laboratory Building into the new home of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences.
• Center for Science and Technology (CST):
  • Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (CASM): In August, construction will be complete on an interdisciplinary center that will bring together expertise in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, manufacturing processes, optimization and robotics to advance the science of semiconductor manufacturing.
  • Active Learning Classroom and Graduate Student Spaces: In early fall, construction will be complete of a new active learning classroom on the second floor adjacent to the newly opened Campos Student Center. The classroom will feature new technology upgrades to facilitate a more active and collaborative learning environment. Included in the project will be new graduate student spaces and a renovated conference area.
• Link Hall: Three areas of work to support mechanical engineering laboratories, dry laboratories and Ph.D. and graduate student workspace are all underway.
• Utility work this summer is focused on electrical infrastructure, preparation for the I-81 project and scheduled steam distribution system maintenance. These projects will have minimal impacts on campus operations, and detailed communications with those affected are taking place now.
  • Electrical Consolidation – Carnegie Library/Bowne Hall Parking Lot 
  • Electrical Consolidation – Dineen/Irving Avenue Garage 
  • Electrical Consolidation – JMA Wireless Dome 
  • Electrical Consolidation – MS-1 Substation 
  • Electrical Consolidation – BBB Complex 
  • Electrical Consolication – Sadler Hall/Lawrinson Hall 
  • Electrical Consolidation – H.B. Crouse Hall 
  • I-81 Relocations on Almond Street – Steam, Condensate, Chilled Water and ITS duct bank 
  • Steam Maintenance – Irving Avenue and University Place – Irving Avenue Hill Lot
  • Steam Maintenance – Raynor Lot (West Side of Stadium Place) 
  • Steam Maintenance – Quad Lot (Minor Vault Repairs) 

Several other major projects will be taking place throughout the summer. These include: 

• Catholic Center Chapel Addition: The building is framed and in the process of being fit out with mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. It is scheduled for completion this fall. 
• Physics Building – Quantum Technology Center and STEM Renewal: Construction continues at the Physics Building in support of the Quantum Technology Center. Like the work in Link Hall, this project is replacing major building mechanical systems and providing code improvements necessary for the building to meet the needs of modern research. Work will continue through the fall and be followed by laboratory fit-ups for this critical area of research. 
• Watson Hall: The building’s southern roof and Waverly Avenue entry roofs will be replaced this summer; impacts to the adjacent occupants are being communicated.  

If you have any construction-related questions, comments or suggestions, please email cpdc@syr.edu. For parking concerns, call Parking and Transportation Services at 315.443.4652.

If you have questions pertaining to accessibility, please contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at 315.443.6162 or ada@syr.edu.

Thank you,

Pete Sala
Vice President and Chief Campus Facilities Officer

Syracuse University today announced a major investment in student financial support as part of its 2025-26 budget, allocating more than $391 million to financial aid, scholarships, grants and related assistance. This represents a 7% increase over last year and reflects the University’s deepening commitment to expanding educational access and opportunity.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Over 30 bins of items were donated by students to ’Cuse Collections, an event hosted by Sustainability Management that provides the items to local community groups.

Containers were placed on North Campus and South Campus to provide Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry students with easy access to donate items as they were moving out.

Read the full story on Syracuse University News.

Numerous site and utility projects will be completed on campus this summer, with work undertaken by University, CenTrio and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) contractors. These projects are related to improving electrical infrastructure, the steam distribution system and work associated with the Business Loop I-81 project.

Read more at Syracuse University News.

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer will soon implement a new contract system that will simplify the process of managing contracts for University departments.

This new system will allow the University to move from its current manual processes to an electronic workflow that increases transparency and efficiency. It will manage the production, execution and storage of contracts by automating workflows, standardizing processes and providing stakeholders with a way to search for and review various University contracts.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Brett Padgett announced the hiring of Ashley Collins as Syracuse University’s Assistant Vice President for Procurement and Supplier Payments and Chief Procurement Officer (AVP/CPO). Ashley will report to Senior Associate Vice President for Finance Kelly Flannery and lead a newly restructured Procurement and Supplier Payments unit within the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, encompassing procurement, supplier payment, and supplier contracts and sourcing.

Ashley has 25 years of experience leading contracts, operations, strategic sourcing, and supply chain groups including 20 years in aerospace and defense. Ashley comes to Syracuse from Brown University, where she led contracts, procurement operations, and strategic sourcing as their Associate Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer. Prior to her time at Brown, she served as Saab Inc’s Head of Supply Chain, North America.

At Syracuse, Ashley will oversee all aspects of the University’s procurement, supplier payment, and supply chain, including contract governance, eProcurement systems, procurement policy, payment channels, supplier development and management, and travel program, with the goal to maximize quality and service, reduce costs, and increase return on investment for the University. She will develop a team to collaborate with key stakeholders to negotiate supplier contracts and establish and enhance strategic supplier relationships.

A native of California, Ashley and her family live in Manlius, N.Y. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication from Colorado State University and her Project Management Professional Certification at California Institute of Technology.