New UNT business building to be completed in 2011

by Arlinda Arriaga of North Texas Daily

With files strewn across his desk and a full schedule of appointments, College of Business Administration Dean Finley Graves said the school is busy assessing student and faculty needs and wants for the new Business Leadership Building.

Construction on the building is scheduled to begin in November 2009, and completion is anticipated to be in 2011. The new building will be where Kendall Hall stands, whose demolition should begin as early as January 2009, Graves said.

Last week, $10 million in tuition revenue bonds was approved by NT for the building, bringing the initially proposed $60 million budget to $70 million.

"We realized the prices of building supplies had gone up for the building of this size," Graves said.

The initial $60 million budget was a combination of $50 million in tuition revenue bonds approved by the Texas Legislature in 2006 and $10 million from the annual budget approved by the Board of Regents in July 2008, according to the new building's proposal.

"This building will help us achieve the goal of offering the region's highest-quality business education within the context of a student-centered research university," Graves said.

The College of Business Administration operates from the Business Administration Building and Curry Hall. Graves said it started offering classes in Curry Hall because of the number of majors offered through the college.

"Both of our buildings were renovated this past summer and are up-to-date with technology, but we look forward to the advancements the new building will offer," Graves said.

The College buys new computers every three years, and when the new building opens it will be stocked with new computers. Additionally, the 1,800 external square feet of the building will offer wireless classrooms with dual screens, imaging projectors and the capability for video conferencing.

The users group that helped select the architecture firm to design the building will also give input on the design throughout its construction.

Using the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a green building rating system developed by the United States Green Building Council commonly referred to as LEED, the new Business Leadership Building will meet the standards for environmentally conscious construction.

NT's College of Business Administration Building was built in 1960 when there were just 36 faculty members and 1,850 students majoring in business, according to a statement released by the university in 2005.

The number of undergraduate students majoring in business has steadily increased to 7,100 during the last academic year, compared to the 6,562 undergraduate business majors during the 2005 to 2006 academic year.

Graves said the college is watching its enrollment.

"We've just outgrown this building," Graves said. "But we are also trying to manage enrollment so we don't threaten the quality of the education here."

Although groundbreaking for the building is a few years away, Graves said the main challenge will be monitoring progress and the economy to ensure the price tag of the building doesn't exceed its budget.

"We're trying to design a building that will be a home to the faculty and that will facilitate their work while also providing an ideal learning experience for students," Graves said.

The College has 101 full-time faculty members; 10 of these are new this semester. Ninety-two of the 101 have doctorates and the remaining have master's degrees and experience in the business world.

Jeff Sager, chairman of the marketing and logistics department, said the faculty's prestige has grown in the 23 years he has spent at NT.

"The neat thing about us is our image," he said. "We're one of the 10 largest colleges in the United States. And because of the types of programs and support UNT's provided, we're getting better faculty than when I came on board."

He said he also felt students would benefit from new programs, such as the professional leadership program and entrepreneurial program.

"We've tried to offer more vehicles for students to have more tools and ways to excel," Sager said. "The new building is a way to expand the size of our operation to make room for student areas."

Graves said he is making sure the faculty is ready for the advanced technology in the new building.

"I think they're really quite in-depth and have found that one of their strengths is technology, so we're not worried about catching the faculty up to speed with the advancements," Graves said.

Student input

Last year during the spring semester, the College conducted an internal survey to gather suggestions from business students.

"I think we have a good idea about what they want and want to provide it," Graves said.

Entrepreneurship senior Adam Clunn said the building would be a selling point for the school.

"I transferred here from Stephen F. Austin University, and when I got here, I thought our building was a downside for the College," Clunn said. "This will give the building the face-lift it deserves and have something to show for it."

Graves said with the wide variety of business majors, there is much to consider in the new building's design.

"There are a variety of interests and there many wants, but I think our focus will be on the programming for the building and making sure we will enhance the learning experience and the environment," Graves said.

The new building will also provide students with the space some have requested.

Ursula Ferreyra, president of the Hispanic Business Student Association, said the association had difficulties when arranging meeting locations.

"There are few open rooms in the business building, and improving it would be even helpful for organizations because then we could do more in-house publicity," Ferreyra said.

The association meets in the University Union, and Ferreyra said that Union staff has changed the meeting locations several times this year.

"It's been difficult working with them, and I just know that with the new building, there will more space for organizations to do their planning," Ferreyra said.

Also to be included in the building is a trading floor for the Student Investment Group, a café and team study rooms.

"In the real world, you work in teams, and it's important for students to learn how to deal with the issues business teams face," Graves said.

Graves said after the building design is complete, the College will focus on getting private donations.

"We will be able to name certain rooms or spaces like the trading floor after donors," he said.

The new business building is on schedule, Graves said, but the last question unanswered is the future of the current building.

"That is something we, the administration, has yet to decide," he said. "But we know the future holds much promise."