Steven M. Charney, Chairman of national construction and infrastructure law firm Peckar & Abramson, P.C. (P&A), in collaboration with Syracuse University, is pleased to announce the launch of the Syracuse University Infrastructure Institute.

The Infrastructure Institute’s overarching goal is to facilitate the effective and efficient development of new, modernized and socially responsible public infrastructure. 

The Institute’s core mission is to achieve this goal by integrating and supporting previously distinct disciplines with a singular focus on infrastructure, including:

Architecture; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Communications; Computer Engineering and Science; Economics; Electrical Engineering; Entrepreneurship; Finance; Information Systems; Law; Management; Public Administration; Public Policy; Social Sciences; and Supply Chain Management.

Laura J. Steinberg, Ph.D. serves as executive director of the Infrastructure Institute. Professor Steinberg is the former dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University. She continues to serve as a special assistant to the vice chancellor of Syracuse University and is a professor in the department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

“We know of no other university that has created an institute, such as the Syracuse University Infrastructure Institute, which integrates as many disciplines around an infrastructure focus,” notes Professor Steinberg.

“The Infrastructure Institute breaks new ground in education, commentary, and research and will enrich and enable a new generation of students and professionals as they improve upon and create desperately needed infrastructure,” adds Professor Steinberg.

Mr. Charney adds that “for someone as talented and dedicated as Professor Steinberg to serve as our Executive Director signals the importance and potential of this initiative.”

Mr. Charney is the Founding Advisor of the Infrastructure Institute and also serves on the Advisory Council of Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

According to Professor Steinberg and Mr. Charney, “an unprecedented collaborative effort will be required to meet the demand for modernized and new infrastructure, which will require an extraordinary integration of historically distinct skillsets. Such integration is critical to the ability to plan, design, engineer, finance, operate, maintain, and implement socially responsible infrastructure.”

The Infrastructure Institute is Mr. Charney’s vision, borne out of the recognition that traditional methods and “siloed” industry perspectives must yield to a unified approach.

Syracuse University is uniquely positioned to address the challenge - the colleges and schools offered in the academic setting at Syracuse University closely mirror those that must align in both the public and private sectors to meet current and future infrastructure demand,” adds Mr. Charney. He points out that “the colleges and schools on campus that are engaging with the Infrastructure Institute include the full array of interrelated disciplines essential to our mission — all of which will work together with a focus on infrastructure.”

Mr. Charney added that “the excitement in seeing this institute come together in response to the staggering infrastructure needs across the United States and globally, should pale in comparison to the impact the Institute can have at home and around the world.”

About Peckar & Abramson, P.C.

Peckar & Abramson, P.C. maintains offices in New York City, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Miami, Chicago, Oakland, Los Angeles, Austin, Houston, and Dallas, and has affiliations with global firms in Latin America (through its founding membership in CONSTRULEGAL), London, China and India. In addition to its core construction practice, the firm has affiliated practice groups who counsel contractors on labor and employment matters, corporate and regulatory compliance issues including D/M/WBE compliance and general corporate and real estate matters. The firm’s website can be found at www.pecklaw.com.

About Syracuse University

Founded in 1870, Syracuse University is a private international research university dedicated to advancing knowledge and fostering student success through teaching excellence, rigorous scholarship and interdisciplinary research. Comprising 11 academic schools and colleges, the University has a long legacy of excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional disciplines that prepares students for the complex challenges and emerging opportunities of a rapidly changing world. Students enjoy the resources of a 270- acre main campus and extended campus venues in major national metropolitan hubs and across three continents. Syracuse’s student body is among the most diverse for an institution of its kind across multiple dimensions, and students typically represent all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Syracuse also has a long legacy of supporting veterans and is home to the nationally recognized Institute for Veterans and Military Families, the first university-based institute in the U.S. focused on addressing the unique needs of veterans and their families. To learn more about Syracuse University, visit syracuse.edu.