Marist College in Poughkeepsie held a ribbon-cutting event to mark the opening of the new Dyson Center on campus The center includes gathering spaces along with student learning and collaboration spaces, as well housing as the college’s School of Management as well as the college’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The grand opening event marked the end of a two-year construction period for the $60 million project.
The size of the original Dyson Center on campus was doubled from 54,000 square feet to 110,000 square feet. The original center had been opened in 1990. The new facility, designed by the internationally recognized firm Annum Architects, features: state-of-the-art classrooms; faculty offices; a 150-seat tiered lecture hall; labs for student-faculty research, especially in the areas of cognitive, developmental and social psychology; an atrium with a soaring, sunlit ceiling; a student-run café that’s due to open Sept. 24; and ample seating.
Marist President Kevin Weinman called this an important moment for the college, as the facility emphasizes the three main priorities of the Marist 100 strategic plan: academic vibrancy; student centrality; and expansive community.
“Marist’s vision is to improve the world through education and this building, and more importantly the teaching and learning that will occur in it, will help us do just that,” Weinman said. “Students in our Schools of Management and Social Behavioral Sciences will learn in classrooms and labs that emphasize teamwork collaboration and experiential learning.”
This project was supported by a lead gift from the Dyson Foundation. Robert Dyson, the foundation’s chairman and a member of the Marist Board of Trustees, said, “It’s a tool for this college to start amplifying the academic offerings we have here and everywhere else.”
The new Dyson Center includes the Investment Center, which is a Wall Street-style trading floor with Bloomberg terminals that is intended to provide special learning opportunities for finance students. Additionally, the new Marketing Lab provides hands-on learning with the latest technology and innovative research tools such as emotional response sensors for enhancing marketing strategies.
“This state-of-the-art building will provide all who work in it with the best tools, flexible spaces, and the most up-to-date technology,” said Will Lamb, dean of the School of Management.
Sheridan Speight, Marists’ student body president and a member of the class due to graduate next year, noted that “the open spaces and natural light provide ideal spots for collaboration,” and that the classrooms in the expanded Dyson Center “have beautiful campus views.”
