October 20, 2005 -- With great pride, Medgar Evers College announces the opening of the newly constructed School of Business and Student Support Services Building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to be held on Friday, October 21st, 2005 at 12:00 noon. The ceremony will be held at the new building, which is located on 1637 Bedford Avenue, between Crown and Carroll Streets.
“ Create Success, One Student at a Time. ”
The event will be preceded by a reception and remarks from Dr. Edison O. Jackson, President, Medgar Evers College. Invited guests include New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, representatives from the architectural design firm Gruzen Samton, LLP, The City University of New York (CUNY), The Dormitory Authority State of New York (DASNY) and a host of New York City politicians and business leaders.
Designed by Gruzen Samton for both academic and student support services spaces, the School of Business and Student Support Services Building was an eighteen month construction project. The construction was a collaboration between CUNY and DASNY, and was managed by McKissack Turner Construction.
The opening of the School of Business and Student Support Services Building heralds the start of an exciting future filled with opportunities for students, faculty, administration and the residents of Central Brooklyn, as well as the entire Borough of Brooklyn and New York City. The 44,950 square foot three-story building houses The School of Business and the administrative offices for Student Affairs. By consolidating Business faculty offices, support services, and classrooms in a building with a new lecture hall and a student commons, the new Building will not only strengthen the identity of our School of Business, but also provide multiple opportunities for informal gatherings. Student Affairs offices include the registrar, admissions and recruitment, testing, health services, and the bursar, thus providing a streamlined centralized experience for students.
A Ground Breaking Ceremony was celebrated on June 4, 2004. The next phase of campus expansion will establish a five-story Academic Complex for the Sciences that will house the School of Science, Health and Technology. With increased classroom space and expanded course and program offerings, the new buildings will promote academic and intellectual exchange in an environment that enhances the teaching and learning experience. The Academic Complex for the Sciences is a five story, 194,000 gross square foot brick structure which will feature a two-story glass pavilion-dining hall that seats 500 persons. The dining hall will also serve as a multi-purpose room, used for lectures, concerts, social functions, large meetings, conferences, etc. The building will also include classrooms, computer labs and small seminar rooms which will be used interdepartmentally.
Teaching and research laboratories for Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Nursing and Mathematics will be organized by discipline. Additional features of the building will include “state of the art” computer-enabled classrooms, a 120-seat lecture hall, computer labs, faculty and administrative offices and numerous student study areas. The main entrance lobby will be especially designed for flexible use, including exhibits, receptions, large meetings, student lounges, and lectures. The building will be located on the northern side of Crown Street and will cover approximately three-quarters of the block, beginning at Bedford Avenue. The total cost of the project has also been allocated and is secure.
These two buildings will add 238,950 gross square feet to our campus, which represents a 76% increase in our current facilities. As a result, the College will be able to increase its enrollment by 41%, from the current level of approximately 5000 students to approximately 7,000 students by 2008. Also, the addition of these “state of the art” facilities will greatly enhance and expand the College’s accessibility and services to the community. Full funding for both projects is $155,000,000, which has been provided by New York State and New York City.
With the construction of these new state-of-the art buildings, Medgar Evers College is moving forward in its mission to “Create Success, One Student at a Time.”
About Gruzen Samton, LLP
Gruzen Samton is one of the longest-established architectural practices in the New York metropolitan area. Formed in 1936, the firm has a reputation for a broad portfolio of architectural, planning and interior design projects for educational, government, transportation, housing and commercial buildings. The firm’s benchmark projects include the design of five buildings at Columbia University; Stuyvesant High School in lower Manhattan; The Horace Mann School in Riverdale; The Thurgood Marshall Academy in Harlem; New York City transportation facilities, including many MTA subway stations; the Port Imperial ferry terminal in Weehawken, NJ; 140 West 42nd Street, a new office building to rise near Times Square; and numerous housing projects including Manhattan Park at Roosevelt Island, Tribeca Pointe, The Regatta at Battery Park City and Liberty Towers in Jersey City.
About The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York
The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York provides financing and construction services to public and private universities, not-for-profit healthcare facilities and other institutions which serve the public good.
