Syracuse University: A Comprehensive Overview

Syracuse University, often referred to informally as 'Cuse or SU, stands as a private research university located in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870, its origins trace back to the Methodist Episcopal Church, though it has operated as a nonsectarian institution since 1920. This article delves into various facets of Syracuse University, including its historical roots, academic offerings, campus life, and notable aspects.

Historical Foundation and Evolution

The university's story begins with the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded in 1831 by the Genesee annual conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Lima, New York. By 1850, there was a resolution to expand the seminary into a college, resulting in Genesee College. However, Lima's location was deemed insufficiently central, compounded by a new railroad that bypassed the area.

Simultaneously, Syracuse sought to establish a university within the city, after failing to attract Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White to locate Cornell University in Syracuse. Syracuse resident White suggested the hill in Syracuse as the location for the new university due to the city's attractive transportation hub, which would ease the recruitment of faculty, students, and other persons of note. Disputes arose among Methodist ministers and various cities regarding the relocation of Genesee College to Syracuse.

In 1869, Genesee College secured New York State approval to move to Syracuse, though a court injunction blocked the move, keeping Genesee in Lima until its dissolution in 1875. The establishment of Syracuse University occurred on March 24, 1870, when the State of New York granted the university its charter, independent of Genesee College. The Methodist church pledged an endowment of $400,000, and the City of Syracuse contributed $100,000 to establish the school. Bishop Jesse T. Daniel Steele, a former Genesee College president, served as the first administrative leader.

Classes commenced in September 1871 in rented space downtown. Judge George F. Comstock, a trustee, donated 50 acres of farmland on a hillside southeast of the city center. Comstock envisioned the university and the hill developing together. Syracuse University was founded as a coeducational and racially integrated institution, open to all individuals regardless of gender or race. President Peck emphasized equal admission conditions for all, regardless of gender. Syracuse University maintained a high proportion of women students. Men and women were taught together in the same courses, and many extra-curricular activities were coeducational as well.

Read also: SU and the City

Growth and Development

From its inception until the early 1920s, Syracuse University experienced rapid growth. The growth of Syracuse University from a small liberal arts college into a major comprehensive university was due to the efforts of chancellor James Roscoe Day and John Dustin Archbold. John Dustin Archbold was a capitalist, philanthropist, and President of the Board of Trustees at Syracuse University.

After World War II, Syracuse University transitioned into a significant research institution. Enrollment surged in the years following the war, fueled by the G.I. Bill. By the end of the 1950s, Syracuse ranked twelfth nationally in sponsored research, with over four hundred professors and graduate students involved in research endeavors.

From the early 1950s through the 1960s, Syracuse University expanded its programs and staff, solidifying its position as a research university. In 1954, Arthur Phillips established the first pathogen-free animal research laboratory. The School of Social Work, later integrated into the College of Human Ecology, was founded in 1956. Syracuse's College of Engineering also established computer engineering and bioengineering programs. In 1962, Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr. donated $15 million to initiate the construction of a school of communications, known as the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Campus and Architecture

Syracuse University is set on a campus that features an eclectic mix of buildings, ranging from nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival structures to contemporary buildings designed by renowned architects such as I.M. Pei. The center of campus, with its grass quadrangle, landscaped walkways, and outdoor sculptures, offers students the amenities of a traditional college experience. The school also owns an on-campus Sheraton Hotel; (later turned into a dorm named Orange Hall), Marshall Square Mall; the Drumlins Country Club, a nearby, 36-hole golf course to the east of South Campus; the Marshall, a 287-bed student housing complex (later renamed Milton Hall); the Fisher Center and Joseph I.

From its founding until the early 1920s, the university grew rapidly. In the late 1880s, the university engaged in a rapid building spree. Holden Observatory (1887) was followed by two Romanesque Revival buildings - Von Ranke Library (1889), now Tolley Humanities Building, and Crouse College (1889). Together with the Hall of Languages, these first buildings formed the basis for the "Old Row," a grouping which, along with its companion Lawn, established one of Syracuse's most enduring images. The emphatically linear organization of these buildings along the brow of the hill follows a tradition of American campus planning which dates to the construction of the "Yale Row" in the 1790s.

Read also: History of Bird Library

Also called "North Campus," the Main Campus contains nearly all academic buildings and residence halls. Its centerpiece is The Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle, more affectionately known as "The Quad," which is surrounded by academic and administrative buildings, including Hendricks Chapel. The North Campus represents a large portion of the University Hill neighborhood.

Student Life and Housing

About 70 percent of students live in university housing. First- and second-year students are required to live on campus. All 22 residence halls are coeducational, and each contains a lounge, laundry facility, and various social/study spaces. Residence halls are secured with a card access system. Residence halls are located on both Main Campus and South Campus, the latter of which is a five-minute ride via bus. Learning communities and interest housing options are also available. Food facilities include six residential dining centers, two food courts, and several cafes.

After World War II, a large, undeveloped hill owned by the university was used to house returning veterans in military-style campus housing. During the 1970s, this housing at Skytop was replaced by permanent two-level townhouses equipped with kitchen, bathroom, and private bedrooms for two or three undergraduate students each or graduate families. There are also three small residence halls that feature open doubles.

Academic Programs and Resources

Syracuse University offers a wide array of academic programs across its various schools and colleges. These include the School of Architecture, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the College of Engineering, and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

The university provides resources and facilities to support its academic endeavors. These include libraries, laboratories, and research centers. The Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, a partnership between Syracuse University, Clarkson University, and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, focuses on innovations in environmental and energy technologies.

Arts and Culture

Syracuse University is committed to fostering arts and culture. A few blocks walk from Main Campus on East Genesee Street, the Syracuse Stage building includes two proscenium theatres. In December 2004, the university announced that it had purchased or leased twelve buildings in downtown Syracuse. Five design programs-Communication, Advertising, Environmental and Interior Design, Industrial and Interactive Design, and Fashion-reside permanently in the newly renovated facilities, fittingly called The Warehouse, which was renovated by Gluckman Mayner Architects. Both programs were chosen to be located in the downtown area because of their history of working on projects directly with the community. The Warehouse also houses a contemporary art space that commissions, exhibits, and promotes the work of local and international artists in a variety of media.

SU has a permanent art collection of over 45,000 objects from artists including Picasso, Rembrandt, Hopper, Tiffany and Wyeth. More than 100 important paintings, sculptures, and murals are displayed in public places around campus. Notable sculptures on campus include Sol LeWitt's Six Curved Walls, Anna Hyatt Huntington's Diana, Jean-Antoine Houdon's George Washington, Antoine Bourde…

Athletics

Syracuse University athletic teams, the Orange, participate in 20 intercollegiate sports. Just north is the headquarters of SU Athletics, the John A. Lally Athletics Complex, formerly known as Manley Field House. Named after alumnus John Lally, the academic and athletics village is home to 20 Syracuse University athletics teams. The complex is surrounded by other athletic facilities, including the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, J.S.

Global Presence and Outreach

SU has established an admissions presence in Los Angeles, California, that will enhance the university's visibility on the West Coast and will join the university's West Coast offices of alumni relations, institutional advancement, and the LA semester program in the same location. Syracuse University has also established an admissions presence in New York City, Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago, Illinois, and Boston, Massachusetts. Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs maintains their Washington D.C. operations in collaboration with Center for Strategic and International Studies. Also in Washington, D.C.

Application Information

Your application and supporting materials should be submitted online. School of Architecture PortfoliosPortfolios must be submitted online via your Applicant Portal. You will find a link to submit your portfolio in your application checklist. Please visit the School of Architecture for more information.College of Visual and Performing Arts Auditions and PortfoliosPortfolios for art, design, transmedia and drama programs must be submitted online via your Applicant Portal. You will find a link to submit your portfolio in your application checklist.Prescreen auditions for acting and musical theater must be submitted online via your Applicant Portal. You will find a link to submit your prescreen audition in your application checklist. If you pass the prescreen audition, you will schedule/submit your final audition via your Applicant Portal.Auditions for music programs must be submitted via your Applicant Portal.

Remembrance and Reflection

On December 21, 1988, 35 Syracuse University students were killed in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The students were returning from a study-abroad program in Europe. In April 1990, Syracuse University dedicated a memorial wall to the students killed on Flight 103, constructed at the entrance to the main campus in front of the Hall of Languages. Every year the university holds "Remembrance Week" during the fall semester to commemorate the students. The university also maintains a link to the tragedy with the "Remembrance Scholars" program, when 35 senior students receive scholarships during their final year at the university.

Recent Events

NotAgainSU is a student-led organization that began after racist incidents at Syracuse University in 2019. In response, students organized a sit-in where they occupied, and presented a list of 19 demands for Chancellor Kent Syverud to sign. As of 2020, the university had supported faculty member Douglas Biklen and his discredited pseudoscientific practice of facilitated communication for nearly 30 years. The university's Institute on Communication and Inclusion, founded by Biklen, (formerly called the "Facilitated Communication Institute"), has offered workshops with the intent of "giving a voice and a means to communicate to people with disabilities". However, in a 2016 article, the editorial board of the independent student newspaper The Daily Orange, condemned the university's support for this practice. In late August 2025, Syverud announced he would step down as president and chancellor in June 2026, concluding a twelve-year tenure that began in 2014.

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