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University Hall

University Hall, the brand-new classrooms and lecture hall on the west side of campus, reached a major milestone on March 25 with the “topping out” of the framework. Topping out is a tradition in construction when the last piece of steel framework is placed on the structure. When the fall 2026 semester rolls around, the building is expected to be fully enclosed with interior work underway.

When University Hall is complete in spring 2028, it will add just shy of 2,000 seats through a 300-seat lecture hall, a smaller 180-seat lecture hall, 23 general-purpose classrooms, three computer classrooms, and an information commons.

Additionally, the lecture halls won’t feature just a few seats reserved for those with mobility impairments – every single seat will be fully accessible.

East Gym Addition

We’re getting our first look inside look at the 75,000-square-foot addition to East Gym! With exterior work on the building largely complete, construction on the inside is ongoing, with an eye toward the scheduled completion date of September 2026.

Work is well underway on the interior, which includes three full-size basketball courts, a running track on the upper level, and additions to the FitSpace area. When complete, the addition will bump up the amount of fitness space at the East Gym by 40%. Nearby, construction crews are working on the improved track and field facility just down the hill from the East Gym. The track facility is slated for completion in August 2026.

Chenango Room Addition/Panera Bread

Located on the Spine and connected to Science I, the building that formerly housed the Chenango Room is reopening this fall, with the space being refitted for a new Panera cafe and event space. Crews installed windows on the front of the building in late March. The old rotunda is still there, but there will also be a breath of fresh air with a new flexible event space on the second floor, an indoor dining area, rooftop seating, and of course, the new Panera restaurant.

NENY Battery-NY Prototyping and Commercialization Center

The roughly 97,000-square-foot Johnson City Center will be the new home of the NENY Battery-NY Prototyping and Commercialization Center. The space, scheduled for completion in September 2026, will help advance research and development of lithium-ion batteries through specialized spaces and industry collaboration. Lithium-ion batteries are essential for modern technology — for everything from electric vehicles to satellites.

Included in the facility is a 23,000-square-foot space for prototyping, as well as cell assembly, formation, aging, and testing. Specialized clean rooms, which are necessary for battery production, will arrive in July. Equipment installation will continue through the fall, with the first sample battery cells expected to come off the line by the end of 2026.

Among the more cosmetic changes to the building: a large, illuminated ������ɫ B was recently installed on the building, visible from Interstate 86.

Grace Hall

Foundation and grading work on the campus’ newest residence hall, Grace Hall, has already been done. When complete, it will be a 362-bed, suite-style residence hall with shared living spaces and private bedrooms. With the completion of Grace Hall, there will be more than 8,000 beds in ������ɫ’s residential programming.

Work on Grace Hall is scheduled to be finished in June 2027 (just in time for move-in day for the fall 2027 semester!) It will be part of the Mountainview residential community when complete.

Center for AI Responsibility and Research

The formation of the ������ɫ Center for AI Responsibility and Research was announced in January, and many people have been wondering where this new center will be.

Initially, the center will be located at 4736 Vestal Parkway, which the University recently acquired. Located down the parkway from the main campus, this will be the center’s temporary location until a suitable spot on campus is found.

The center will focus on ethical research into artificial intelligence, focusing on how AI can be used for the public good to strengthen communities. The center was made possible through a $30 million commitment from Bloomberg co-founder Tom Secunda ’76, MA ’79 and a $25 million capital investment from Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

Clinical Center at Park

Part of a large, multi-phase expansion of the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences, a longtime vacant building at the Health Sciences Campus in Johnson City is being transformed into the Clinical Center at Park. A massive facelift will create a modern area for students aiming for careers in healthcare.

Once work is complete in spring 2027, the building will provide space for Physical Therapy and Speech & Language Pathology. Those departments will occupy the first and second floors of the building, with planning underway for what will be housed on the third floor. Move-in is expected for summer 2027.

The Motion Analysis Research Laboratory, a high-tech facility for faculty clinical research and immersive, dynamic student learning, is currently located in the basement of West Gym. It’s one of the facets of the Physical Therapy Department that will be moving to the Clinical Center at Park.

To learn more about these and other projects in the works at ������ɫ, watch the .