By Mark Adam
With hard hats atop their heads, Siena employees eagerly navigated the hallways and leaned into rooms to investigate the new academic building emerging from its construction site at Middlefield Road on campus. Tours for staff and students began this month in Richard and Joan Rosetti Hall, which will house the education, social work and sociology departments.
Rosetti Hall, which is 60-to-70 percent complete, will be ready for the fall semester. It will be Siena’s first LEED-certified building due to its environmentally friendly design. The three-story building features five classrooms complete with the latest in teaching technology, 27 offices, three seminar rooms, three meeting rooms and collaborative learning spaces throughout. It will also have computer labs, a video editing suite and the Center for Urban Education.
“Rosetti Hall represents the kind of teaching that we are fostering in our current strategic plan,” said Ralph Blasting, Ph.D., professor of creative arts and former dean of the School of Liberal Arts, who played a major part in this project and served as the tour guide. “It is a manifestation of what the plan calls for -- new and innovative learning spaces where students and faculty work together.”
Faculty-student interaction is essential, so faculty offices surround informal learning spaces. Blasting said that faculty were involved in the planning and design of this building from the very beginning.
Katie Bornstein ’15, an English education major, was one of the first students to tour Rosetti Hall. She is excited to record video of lesson plans and practice using the SMART Board and viewing room.
“Students need to know how to use this technology and work a lesson plan around it,” Bornstein said.
In terms of sustainability, Rosetti Hall will serve as a model on campus. It will be Siena’s first building with a geothermal heating and cooling system and photovoltaic solar panels on the roof. Mark Frost, assistant vice president of facilities management, said it will be one of the first college buildings in upstate New York to have all LED lighting, making the building much more energy-efficient.
“From a teaching and technology standpoint, the building is going to be state-of-the-art,” Frost said.
Rosetti Hall is named for Richard and Joan Rosetti who made the lead gift toward the project. Both of their children, Richard Rosetti ’87 and Jacqueline Rosetti Falvey ’84, as well as their granddaughter, Alexandra Falvey ’12, graduated from Siena College. Joan’s father George Cloutier helped build Siena Hall as a carpenter more than 70 years ago.
The new dean of the School of Liberal Arts Janet Shideler, Ph.D., said that Rosetti Hall signifies more than just the addition of a new building.
“Rosetti Hall enables the best practices that we know are essential to outstanding teaching and learning: interaction, innovation and engagement. The positive impact of this generous gift will be felt for years to come,” Shideler said.
