Starting in the fall of 2014, Ithaca College’s physical therapy program will be united on the South Hill campus. The final year of the six-year curriculum, which has been located in Rochester since 1991, will move to renovated facilities in Ithaca.

“Expanding the physical therapy program on our home campus will allow for a greater integration of the undergraduate and graduate experience for those students and faculty, in addition to advancing the principles of the campus-wide IC 20/20 initiative and Integrative Core Curriculum,” said President Tom Rochon.

Classrooms and laboratories now housed in leased space in Rochester will be moved to the Hill Center, the adjacent Center for Health Sciences, and Smiddy Hall. Since Hill Center is currently undergoing renovations, the timing was right to modify those plans to accommodate the new facilities.

The Hill Center will house a new cadaver lab and a movement analysis lab, two key components of the PT educational program, which will further IC’s reputation for delivering first-rate, hands-on health sciences education.

“We are tremendously excited by this development and the opportunities it will bring for our students and faculty to learn and teach in new facilities,” said Linda Petrosino ’77, M.S. ’78, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance.

She points out that students will continue to gain practical experience by participating in clinical affiliations at locations throughout the country.

“This decision came following a great deal of consideration and consultation,” said Petrosino. “We are justifiably proud of the tradition of educational excellence we provide to our physical therapy students and the subsequent high quality of care that our graduates provide to their clients. This move will continue our ability to deliver the kinds of academic and clinical experiences our students require in order to continue being leaders in their field.”