| A ceremonial groundbreaking for the DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness at Saint Francis University was held at 4 p.m., Friday, October 5, at the DiSepio Institute's future site, between Sullivan Hall and the Pasquerilla Library. The community was invited to join in the celebration. Construction of the new facility, which will attach to the existing Sullivan Hall, is scheduled to begin in October and is scheduled for completion for early 2009.
The DiSepio Institute will be a premier facility of its kind in the United States. The 30,000-square-foot state-of-the-art building will feature a fitness center (cardio, strength training, and core strengthening areas), aerobic/dance room, outpatient rehabilitation center, human performance laboratory (including areas for motional analysis, single-subject testing, and cardiovascular metabolic research), classrooms, offices, conference rooms, and a large symposium space with a seating capacity of 90. The Spiritual Wellness Center of the DiSepio Institute will consist of a meditation room as well as an outdoor walking labyrinth.
Saint Francis University President, Rev. Gabriel Zeis, T.O.R., states that the DiSepio Institute will allow Saint Francis University to "advance its mission and the vision of Saint Francis of Assisi...[and] enable a better integration of all health sciences into a synergy that will advance the learning experiences of our students and the service opportunities of our students, particularly to the underserved population. It will bring a greater connection between the CERMUSA research program and the academic programs of the University. It will give a greater opportunity to the University to incorporate the vision of wholeness and health so subscribed to by Saint Francis of Assisi, a wellness that embraced full health of the individual."
The Institute is intended to be the first phase of the plan for a new health and science complex to be constructed on campus. The future health and science complex will offer a central location for all of the University's sciences programs. This integration and proximity will create closer ties between departments and lead to academic synergy and enhanced learning opportunities.
Funding for the DiSepio Institute was made possible through the generosity of Joseph ('58) and Marguerite ('60) DiSepio, other alumni donors, private foundations and corporations, and a matching state grant. Governor Edward G. Rendell presented the award of $3.5 million as Pennsylvania's investment in the DiSepio Institute during his July 26 visit to campus. Private foundations and corporations have also contributed to the project, including First Commonwealth Bank in recognition of Mr. James Trimarchi, former chairman of the bank's board of directors, the Timbres Foundation in recognition of Mr. and Mrs. H. Connell Lang, and Lee Initiatives, Inc.
Architects for the project are Celli-Flynn Brennan Architects and Planners (Pittsburgh); pre-construction contractors are Reynolds Construction (Harrisburg); civil engineering consultants are Werley Associates (Pittsburgh) and L. Robert Kimball and Associates (Ebensburg); structural engineering consultants are Whitney, Bailey, Cox and Magnani (Pittsburgh); MEP engineering consultants are CJL Engineering (Johnstown).
10/17/07
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The DiSepio Institute will be a premier facility of its kind in the United States.
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