Syracuse University will hold an opening ceremony and open house for The Barnes Center at The Arch on Friday.

Sportscaster and SU alumnus Sean McDonough, Class of 1984, will emcee the unveiling of the center, according to a press release. Chancellor Kent Syverud and former Board of Trustees Chairman Steven Barnes, Class of 1982, will also speak at the event. 

Barnes donated $5 million toward the Arch in 2017. The university previously estimated the total cost of the project to be $50 million. The Arch consolidated the university’s health and wellness resources into one central location at the former Archbold Gymnasium. SU’s Counseling Center and Health Services opened at the center in July. 

Syverud said in a July email to the student body that he was “blown away” after he took a tour of the facility. 

“The activities, staff, and programming that will take place in the many spaces I toured will dramatically enhance the student experience at Syracuse,” Syverud wrote in the email.

First-year students and their families were able to visit The Arch during orientation week for an open house. 

Recreational facilities at the center include a meditation room, a smoothie bar called Otto’s Juice Box, a pet therapy room and three MindSpa rooms. The Arch will also feature 36 computer gaming stations, an e-sports gaming room and six stations for Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo.

These facilities will be available to SU community members at the open house, along with cake and commemorative giveaways. Friday’s event will begin at 3:45 p.m. After the ceremony, a donor recognition event will be held in the Arch. 

The Arch is one of several projects under SU’s Campus Framework Plan, a 20-year project meant to develop SU’s campus. Other projects under the Campus Framework Plan include renovations to Schine Student Center, and the installation of a $6 million University Place promenade, which opened in 2016.

Published on September 11, 2019 at 10:31 pm

Contact Gabe: gkstern@syr.edu | @gabestern326