From left : Lee and Jeff rey Feil; Sanford I. and Joan Weill; Dr. Joseph Safdieh, senior associate dean for educati on; Dr. Barbara Hempstead, dean of the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences; and Dr. Robert A. Harrington
Weill Cornell Medicine leaders, donors, students and alumni gathered on May 1 to mark the completion of the institution’s new $260 million student residence and to celebrate the unveiling of its official name: the Feil Family and Weill Family Residence Hall.
A ceremonial ribbon-cutting formally celebrated the residence, located at the northwest corner of East 74th Street and York Avenue, just three years after breaking ground. The building will open to medical students and graduate students in August.
The building represents a stunning show of philanthropic support for the $1.5 billion We’re Changing Medicine campaign and serves as a testament to the extraordinary generosity of the institution’s donors. Lead gifts from Board of Fellows Vice Chair Jeffrey Feil and the Feil Family, and Joan and Board of Fellows Chair Emeritus Sanford I. Weill and the Weill Family Foundation, joined those from nearly 80 other donors and alumni to collectively contribute nearly half the cost of the building’s construction.
The alumni community has been tremendously supportive of student living and learning initiatives, contributing more than $10 million toward the new residence, with generous gifts from individuals, couples, families and entire classes.
Board of Fellows Chair Jessica M. Bibliowicz
The newly named residence greatly expands Weill Cornell Medicine’s student residential space and provides aspiring doctors, scientists sts and health-care leaders with a modern living and learning environment that will enable them to thrive. The building is four blocks from the institution’s clinical, research and education buildings, ensuring that students can live and learn in the same environment.
“This is about our students, who are going to be clinicians, scientists and educators,” says Dr. Robert A. Harrington, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University “The centerpiece of their education is going to be this building. This is where they will come to live; this is where they will come to learn; this is where they will relax.”
“There’s really no better way to change medicine and make it sustainable than to create a new student residence, where students will have amazing living and learning opportunities,” says Board of Fellows Chair Jessica M. Bibliowicz. “So, for the sustainability of health care, medicine and Weill Cornell, I think this is as an exciting day as I can remember. And I want to thank our lead donors, who really made this possible.”
Dr. Robert A. Harrington, Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine
The 16-story, 173,000-square-foot residence, which will house 272 students, features 163 studio apartments, seven one-bedrooms and 51 two-bedroom apartments, each equipped with a full kitchen. Additionally, the building includes several communal spaces for study, collaboration, recreation, fitness and socialization.
The residence joins Weill Cornell Medicine’s suite of initiatives to enhance the student experience. To help more students realize their educational aspirations, Weill Cornell Medicine in 2019 expanded its scholarship program to eliminate educational debt for medical students who qualify for financial aid. That same year, the institution opened the Feil Family Student Center, a 16,200-square-foot campus space that expanded facilities for classes, meetings, quiet study and informal gatherings.
“Education has always been front and center in my family’s philanthropy to Weill Cornell Medicine, which goes back nearly 50 years, so I can’t tell you how honored we are to have been a part of making this student residence come to life,” says Mr. Feil. “Our brilliant students deserve so much. They deserve the best education, and they deserve the very best place to live while they are studying hard to be great doctors and researchers. They need a place to learn, feel protected and secure, and collaborate with each other. This is their home.”
Board of Fellows Vice Chair Richard Ruben, Jeffrey Feil and Board of Fellows member Bruce Ratner
“Our students inspire us every day with their talents and determination,” says Mr. Weill. “Along with our debt-free scholarship program — which Joan and I supported early on — with this beautiful new residence, we’re giving our students the support they need to reach their goals. In a few months, the first students will move in and make this place an exciting center of student life. They will have opportunities to have fun, make friends and, of course, study in a collaborative environment.”
The light-filled and eco-friendly building features study nooks, meeting rooms, a fitness center, yoga and music rooms, a student lounge, an outdoor garden and a multipurpose activity court. Weill Cornell Medicine’s Board of Fellows, working closely with current students, conceptualized the building to ensure that its amenities and design would fulfill students’ needs.
Dr. Karen Lin Su (M.D. ‘97) and Dr. Edwin Su (M.D. ‘97), vice president of the Weill Cornell Medical College Alumni Association
One such space is a rooft op lounge with an adjoining terrace, which Dr. Edwin Su (M.D. ’97) and his family generously supported. Dr. Su and his wife, Dr. Karen Lin Su (M.D. ’97), named the Sky Lounge Lobby, and together they joined with Dr. Edwin Su’s siblings, Kevin Su, Melinda Su and Dr. Sherwin Su, to name the Sky Lounge/Roof Terrace in honor of their parents, Dr. Philip C. Su and Wen-Huey L. Su. Their late father was a prominent neurologist who inspired two of his children – Edwin and Sherwin – to pursue careers in medicine.
“This beautiful new student residence is more than just a building,” says Dr. Edwin Su, vice president of the Weill Cornell Medical College Alumni Association and chair of its Fundraising Committee. “It is a promise: A promise that Weill Cornell Medicine will continue to nurture, support and inspire students, with beautiful communal spaces and a design focused on wellness and sustainability. This residence will be a place where students can study, collaborate, and build relationships that will shape their lives and careers.”
