Chancellor Zimpher & SUNY Upstate Break Ground on $72 Million Campus Expansion

Syracuse – State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher, President David R. Smith, M.D. and other SUNY Upstate Medical University officials today broke ground on a $72 million, 158,000 square foot expansion of the Institute for Human Performance (IHP). Senator David Valesky and Assemblymembers Bill Magnarelli and Sam Roberts also attended.

SUNY Upstate Medical Center is already one of Syracuse's largest employers, with more than 8,000 employees, including researchers, faculty, and construction positions. In addition to construction jobs, the new expansion will create an additional 100 permanent faculty and staff at IHP.

“SUNY touches virtually every community in New York, and our impact on the local and regional economy is tremendous," said Chancellor Zimpher. "The expansion of IHP is about a lot more than just bricks and mortar; it’s about putting New Yorkers to work, investing in and raising up Syracuse and central New York, and forging new strategies and setting new boundaries in interdisciplinary research."

President Smith said: "This is an investment - a down payment - on the new economy of central New York. The expansion of IHP embodies SUNY Upstate Medical University's mission of research and service, and it aligns both with New York's need to push forward with a knowledge based economy and Chancellor Zimpher's strategic plan, The Power of SUNY."

Chancellor Zimpher and President Smith also unveiled an architect’s rendering of the expansion.

Opened in January 2000, the Institute for Human Performance showcases the world's most advanced biomedical technology, confirming SUNY and Upstate Medical University’s place among the world's experts on human activity.

The expansion will enable researchers to work together in their approach to nervous system disorders, cancer, infectious disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease through better science, improved treatments and cures, and new funding.

While originally envisioned as a training center for elite athletes, IHP's mission has expanded to include all aspects of human ability and disability, including the impact of aging, illness, and injury. IHP allows once-isolated disciplines, institutions, and populations to collaborate on research and advancement.

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 465,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses with more than 2.5 million alumni around the globe. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu 

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