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Syracuse University College of Medicine Records

An inventory of its records at the Syracuse University Archives

Finding aid created by: Anna E. Shuff
Date: 2026

Revision history:

Historical Note

The Syracuse University College of Medicine traces its origins to the Geneva College Medical School, which was founded in 1834 as part of Geneva College. In 1871, trustees of the college, by then called Hobart College, voted to disband the medical school, arguing that Geneva did not have adequate facilities in the area to support it. Hobart College sold its medical library and anatomical specimens to its dean, John Towler, who donated the materials to Syracuse University on the condition that the University immediately establish a medical school.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons at Syracuse University was established in 1872 and held its first classes in October of that year. In 1875, the College purchased a former carriage factory and remodeled it into a facility with laboratories, lecture halls, a surgical amphitheater, a library, and a museum. These facilities expanded over the following years to include a dispensary and several additional laboratories. Around this time, the College began partnering with two local hospitals—The Hospital of the Good Shepherd and St. Joseph’s Hospital—to provide hands-on clinical education. Initially, the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Syracuse University was an independent and autonomous institution that operated in collaboration with Syracuse University itself. This was the case until 1889, when the College of Physicians and Surgeons deeded its buildings and property to the University to create the Syracuse University College of Medicine. The College’s deteriorating carriage factory facilities were demolished in 1896, and a new College of Medicine building, Peck Hall, was built in their place.

The Syracuse University College of Medicine was at the forefront of late-19th and early-20th century medical education. The College was co-educational since its founding, building on Geneva College Medical School’s legacy as the alma mater of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first American woman to receive a medical degree. In 1896, the College extended its curriculum from a 3-year course of study to 4 years. Though courses of this length were becoming more common in prestigious medical schools of the time, they were not considered standard until around a decade later. Additionally, the College was among the first medical schools in the United States to implement a curriculum with an emphasis on laboratory instruction. This form of teaching was modeled upon German methods of medical education and was promoted at the College of Medicine by Dr. Henry Leopold Elsner, who had studied in Germany.

By the mid-1930s, the College of Medicine had outgrown its quarters at Peck Hall and was in need of a new, modern building to house classrooms, laboratories, and other educational facilities. The College’s dean, Herman Gates Weiskotten, led the campaign to secure support and funding for the project, and in 1935 the University secured a loan from the Works Progress Administration to construct the new building. In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended the laying of the cornerstone for the new College of Medicine Building, which was later renamed Weiskotten Hall. Upon the establishment of the State University of New York (SUNY) system in 1948, plans were drawn up for a state-run medical center in Syracuse to serve Upstate New York. In 1950, Syracuse University transferred the College of Medicine and its buildings and equipment to the new SUNY Upstate Medical Center in order to consolidate the Syracuse area medical schools under the SUNY system.

Scope and Content Note

The Syracuse University College of Medicine Records contain materials concerning the operations, activities, and expansion of the Syracuse University College of Medicine from its founding in 1872 until its transfer to the State University of New York (SUNY) in 1950, at which time it was renamed SUNY Upstate Medical University. Some materials in the collection that pertain to alumni of the College of Medicine postdate the College’s transfer. The collection is divided into three series:

The Administration series contains materials documenting administrative functions of the College of Medicine ranging from 1888 to 1948. These include financial documents, administrative reports, and minutes for faculty meetings and meetings of the Instructional Committee.

The Correspondence-subject files series contains correspondence, reports, newsletters and other materials related to the College of Medicine and its students and alumni. These include unique items such as admission tickets for chemistry and histology courses, and a dissection ticket entitling the student to an allotted quantity of body parts to study for an anatomy course. Also present are materials concerning the construction of the College of Medicine building (now called Weiskotten Hall), as well as materials pertaining to events related to the College of Medicine, including programs, invitations, and transcripts of addresses delivered at these events.

The Printed materials series spans from 1874 to 1947 and primarily constitutes bulletins and course catalogs for the College of Medicine. Also present are promotional materials for the College and its associated hospitals.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Administrative materials concerning the construction of the College of Medicine Building (now called Weiskotten Hall) as well the construction of the Nursing School Building and the renovation of the Washington Arms apartment building were separated and placed in the Syracuse University Buildings and Grounds Collection.

Further information on the Syracuse University College of Medicine can be found in the Syracuse University Clipping Files and the Syracuse University Photograph Collection. The University Archives also holds the Geneva College Medical School Records. Additionally, SUNY Upstate Medical University's Archives and Special Collections holds several collections that concern the Syracuse University College of Medicine prior to the College's transfer into the SUNY system.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.
Syracuse University. -- College of Medicine.
Upstate Medical University (N.Y.)

Subjects

Medical education.
College teachers.
Higher education.
Medical students.
Medical teaching personnel.
Physicians.

Types of Material

Academic addresses (documents)
Administrative reports.
Brochures.
Bulletins.
Correspondence.
Financial records.
Histories (literary genre)
Minutes (administrative records)
Newsletters.
Photographs.
Printing plates.
Programs (documents)
Tickets.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Syracuse University College of Medicine Records,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

The Archives has no documentation concerning the acquisition of the majority of the Syracuse University College of Medicine Records. Correspondence, term calendars and other materials dating from the early years of the College were a gift of the archives of the Sisters of St. Francis of Syracuse in 1977.

Processing Information

Some items were removed from binders and placed in acid-free folders. All materials were placed in acid-free folders in acid-free boxes.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged alphabetically.

Table of Contents

Administration

Correspondence-subject files

Printed materials

Inventory