CMU Community Dedicates Highmark Center As a Home For Holistic Student Experience
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As a liaison for Carnegie Mellon University’s Peer Health Advocates(opens in new window), Ashley Gelber knows the value of community and the importance of student wellness.
At the building dedication Thursday for the Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics(opens in new window), Gelber, a senior studying clinical psychology, shared how the new 160,000-square foot space creates an environment that encourages and supports each student’s individual success.
“In my classes, I’ve learned that the key to creating change is taking time to observe the world around me, identify the obstacles to progress, and then create a plan of action to address systemic inequities. Advocating for student wellness is no different,” she said. “As a top university, I believe that it is our duty to lead by example in how we uplift every voice in these halls of learning — and how we need to recognize that each voice comes with different wellness needs.”
The event marked the official opening of the building as a destination for well-being through robust services and educational programs.
Gina Casalegno(opens in new window), vice president for Student Affairs(opens in new window) and dean of students, explained that the building is a part of an overall investment in the student experience at Carnegie Mellon that serves as a leadership priority, especially since 2016 when the university launched a task force involving more than 200 dedicated faculty, staff, students and alumni for over three years of data-informed and evidence-based work.
An expansion to the Jared L. Cohon University Center(opens in new window), the addition of modern residence halls and neighborhood commons(opens in new window), and an on-campus grocery store(opens in new window) are examples of that priority coming to life on campus, she said.
Addressing students directly, Casalegno said the projects also represent an investment in the future.
“With your brilliance and your passion, you will lead us toward a brighter tomorrow, filled with innovation, creativity and optimism,” she said. “We are so proud to have achieved this important milestone for CMU and for our community of students. But we are even more proud of what you will explore, discover and achieve by connecting with the people, programs and activities that you will find here.”
Along with gifts from more than 300 alumni, parents, faculty and staff, the Highmark Center is made possible by a $35 million lead gift from Highmark Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield association and one of the largest Blue plans in the country.
David Holmberg, president and CEO of Highmark Health, also addressed CMU students and community members directly, emphasizing the university's importance to the progress of the Pittsburgh region.
“On behalf of Highmark and the Allegheny Health Network, the 40,000 people that work with us, we need you and we need you to be the best and the brightest,” he said. “And we know that along the way, you need the opportunity to burn off a little bit of energy, to maybe have a little bit of coaching that goes along with it, both physical and mental, and fine-tune your skills so you can have an impact on the world.”
Carnegie Mellon President Farnam Jahanian(opens in new window) said the opening of the Highmark Center embodies university leadership’s vision to foster a healthy mind, body and spirit for everyone who is a part of the CMU community, in order to build a foundation for each individual’s personal and academic success.
“We knew that, far too often, colleges and universities were viewing the health of their students through a narrow prism of simply reacting to problems and we sought to make Carnegie Mellon University a national leader in a much more sophisticated, integrated and proactive approach to health and wellness,” he said. “Today, the Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics stands as a physical testament to our pursuit of excellence, our dedication to cultivating community and our commitment to educating and developing the whole person.”
Jahanian — with the help of Gelber and fellow student speaker Alexis Sudjianto, a member of the 2024 NCAA Division III Champion(opens in new window) women’s golf team — presented Holmberg with a commemorative plaque in a frame made of wooden flooring salvaged from the historic Skibo Gymnasium.
The renovated Skibo Gym now serves as a field house featuring rectangular turf, track and field running lanes and batting cages, while a new 16,000 square-foot main arena includes retractable bleachers that can fit nearly 1,000 people. Additional spaces include an 8,000 square-foot gymnasium, a varsity athletes lounge, a 6,000 square-foot varsity weight room, and the Athletics Hall of Fame(opens in new window).
The first floor of the Highmark Center features the Hoplamazian Family Well-Being Lab, four contemplation nooks and two ablution rooms as a part of the first-floor Buncher Suite for Wellness and Meaning-Making Programs(opens in new window), a Shake Smart(opens in new window) location on the second floor, the relocated University Health Clinic(opens in new window) on the third floor and the Posner Family Wellness Garden outside the space for Counseling and Psychological Services(opens in new window) on the fourth floor.
Sudjianto, a graduate student studying mechanical engineering, told the crowd at the event about how the Rohr Intercollegiate Golf Training Facility has expanded and improved upon the team’s past indoor practice space and will further her and her teammates’ top-tier training.
More importantly, she said, the entire Highmark Center will benefit generations of CMU students on their own individual journey of well-being.
“The Highmark Center has already transformed the student experience at Carnegie Mellon and I have no doubt it will positively impact every student for years to come, embodying the University's dedication to holistic student health,” she said. “On behalf of my fellow Tartans, thank you to everyone joining us today who has made the Highmark Center possible.”
State Sen. Jay Costa, Pittsburgh City Council Member Erika Strassburger, and Chairman of the Carnegie Mellon Board of Trustees David Coulter also spoke at the event.
The Kiltie Band and Scotty mascot helped conclude the dedication and kick-off self-guided tours of the new building with stations that included snacks, activities, giveaways and games.
