Editor’s note: This story is part two of a weekly series tracking Syracuse University’s Invest Syracuse initiative.

Syracuse University has begun schematic design work on an addition to Link Hall that will house the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s student support services, an SU official said in a campus-wide email last week. Funding for the project was inspired by the Invest Syracuse initiative, a $100 million fundraising plan announced in July 2017.

The Bill and Penny Allyn Innovation Center, which will be built on Link’s south side, will become the building’s new primary entrance, said Pete Sala, SU’s vice president and chief facilities officer, in the email. The innovation center will house the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s recruitment, advising, course support, research and internship services, according to an SU fundraising document.

The university initially hoped to begin construction on the center in June 2018, according to the document.

The center will cost $6 million, College of Engineering and Computer Science Dean Teresa Dahlberg told The Daily Orange in February. Bill and Penny Allyn, two SU alums, donated $2 million to help fund the construction of the new center, per a January SU News release. By January 2018, the university had raised 70 percent of the funding needed for the construction of the center.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science’s retention rate is about 80 percent over two years, Dahlberg has said. She also said she hopes the career and student services housed in the center will bump up the college’s retention rate. Only about 30 to 50 percent of engineering students currently use those services, Dahlberg said in February.

Six teams of College of Engineering and Computer Science and School of Architecture students helped design the center as part of their capstone projects, according to the SU News release. Each team worked with faculty and was required to design its project around sustainable building requirements and Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, per the fundraising document.

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The Allyns’ donation came through SU’s Invest Syracuse fundraising initiative. The initiative aims to improve SU’s student life, academic and financial aid offerings, and includes projects such as the Euclid Shuttle, the Graham Fitness Center and the expansion of the Counseling Center.

Invest Syracuse will be funded with $30 million from a new tuition premium, $30 million in “administration spending” cuts and $40 million in fundraising between 2017 and 2019. All first-year students will pay the annual $3,300 tuition premium beginning in the fall 2018 semester.

Published on September 16, 2018 at 10:00 pm

Contact Jordan: [email protected] | @jordanmuller18