Enhancing the Physical Facility
The most visible way in which the School of Business is transforming itself is in terms of its physical facility.
Physical construction of a $40.5 addition to Grainger Hall began in spring 2006. The addition will house our MBA programs and provide substantial additional resources for other elements of the School of Business. The addition also will offer facilities to meet the needs of alumni and corporate constituents, while providing common spaces crucial to unifying the School of Business community.
The addition is possible thanks to a $20 million gift from The Grainger Foundation. In addition to this gift, $10.5 million in gift funds and $10 million in general fund-supported borrowing will complete the project budget.
The original bids to construct the addition came in almost 15% higher than anticipated. Instead of seeking additional private resources or modifying the original plan on a piecemeal basis, the project was redesigned and rebid. Plans for the revised plan came in on budget, while preserving key enhancements to the facility.
Slated to open in fall 2008, the addition will be a major step forward for the MBA program, providing a home for each of the MBA career specializations that make up the new Wisconsin MBA and offering enhanced centralized resources for MBA students. The overall goal is to provide a much more student-friendly gathering space and learning environment.
The addition will make possible:
- Upgraded office space and classrooms for the full-time MBA program
- A home for the career specializations that make up the full-time
Wisconsin MBA and centralized resources for the program - Upgraded office space and classrooms for Enterprise MBA programs
- Centralized student services offices for undergraduates
- Expanded career services offices for undergraduates
- New 200-seat dining facility
- New undergraduate computer lab
- Centralized stairs for easy access between floors
- New and enlarged copy center
- Additional storage