The second oldest building on the Syracuse University campus is 30 feet by 32 feet with a 30-foot high tower, complete with a telescope and a rotating dome.

Chancellor Kent Syverud called the Holden Observatory “iconic” because it embodies what he thinks the university stands for — even if the building itself only stands 30 feet off the ground.

That embodiment for Syverud is “not just the search for truth and meaning amidst life’s great unknowns — but a search for truth and meaning that is accessible to all.”

Syverud dedicated a new handicapped-accessible ramp leading up to the observatory’s entrance on Friday at a ceremony outside Holden Observatory. The chancellor noted that one of the goals of the Academic Strategic Plan, which is one component of his three-part Fast Forward initiative, is to sustain an inclusive and accessible campus of opportunity for a richly diverse student body, which includes students with disabilities.

“A piece of that is to make sure there aren’t barriers — physical or otherwise — on this campus, and this ramp signifies attention to and progress to achieving that goal,” Syverud said.

Syverud added that he will be working to explore pulling together help from all parts of SU toward an interdisciplinary initiative in disabilities research and education.

Office of Disability Services Director Paula Possenti-Perez said SU has a legacy for disability service and that the conversation about disability is happening here. The university was the first in the country to have a disability studies program, a joint degree in law and disability studies and a disability cultural center.

Possenti-Perez said by design, the environment is suited for the non-disabled person, and that SU not only recognizes this but also has activists, allies and a committed leadership that are working toward making SU a more accessible and inclusive campus.

“There is a commitment to social justice, to a concept that disability is socially constructed and to the belief that one is not disabled because of their impairment, but rather disabled because of the environment in which we live,” Possenti-Perez said.

Following the ceremony, Marvin Druger, a Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence in SU’s biology department, gave a tour of the observatory. The building was refurbished with a donation from Druger, and he dedicated the Patricia Meyers Druger Astronomy Learning Center to his late wife in March.

Published on October 25, 2015 at 9:00 pm

Contact Alexa: atorrens@syr.edu