CMU Community Dedicates Highmark Center as a Home for Holistic Student Experience

As a liaison for Carnegie Mellon University’s Peer Health Advocates, Ashley Gelber knows the value of community and the importance of student wellness.

At the building dedication Oct. 24, 2024, for the Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics, Gelber, a senior studying clinical psychology, explained how the new 160,000-square foot space creates an environment that encourages and supports the successes of each individual student.

“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, vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, said the building is a part of an overall investment in the student experience at CMU 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.

“With your brilliance and your passion, you will lead us toward a brighter tomorrow, filled with innovation, creativity and optimism,” Casalegno said to students attending the event. “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.”

Members of the CMU community were able to explore the grounds of the new Highmark Center during the building’s dedication.

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 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.

Kiltie Band plays at the dedication ceremony for the Highmark Center.

“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.”

The renovated Skibo Gym has been converted to a field house featuring rectangular turf, track and field running lanes and batting cages, while a new main arena includes retractable bleachers that can fit nearly 1,000 people. Additional spaces include a second gymnasium, a varsity athletes lounge, a varsity weight room and the Athletics Hall of Fame.

Alexis Sudjianto, a member of the 2024 NCAA Division III women’s golf team and a graduate student studying mechanical engineering, told the crowd how the Rohr Intercollegiate Golf Training Facility has expanded and improved upon the team’s past indoor practice space and will further its 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.”