The University of Central Arkansas’s new College of Business was officially dedicated during a reception Feb. 11.
The construction of the new $16 million building began in May 2008. Highlights of the building include a 160 seat auditorium, eight tiered lecture halls, two flat classrooms, two computer labs, and 61 faculty offices. The new building also features several conference rooms, a graduate lounge, and houses all of the College’s Centers/Institutes.
“The new UCA College of Business building will provide our students opportunities to learn in a business-like environment where students can prepare for a rewarding career after leaving UCA,” said Dean Pat Cantrell. “This new building has allowed the college to regain critical space for students, faculty and business leaders to gather and interact. I am very excited to be part of this new building and look forward to continuing to find ways to improve our approaches to student learning.”
Classes began in the 78,456 square-foot facility on Jan. 14.
The UCA College of Business formerly resided in the Burdick Business Administration Center, which opened in 1974. Originally, Burdick offered the College of Business space for student and faculty lounges, rooms for student clubs to meet, a library and a group study room, but all of those spaces have since been converted to classrooms and offices.
“Our former business building was built more than a decade before the introduction of the personal computer in offices and laboratories,” Cantrell said. “This new state-of-the-art building is not only equipped with the essential tools necessary to teach business education in the 21st century, but it will also allow the college of regain critical space for students, faculty, and community members to gather and interact. By giving our students the opportunity to network and collaborate with business professionals, the full education process is enhanced.”
The university can now offer an online MBA program to compliment its traditional campus-based MBA and Master of Accountancy programs, Cantrell said.
“We now have the facility that will make our students feel comfortable entering the corporate world and the architecture to extend their vision and their aspirations,” she added. “… To the legislators, who approved the bond issue, and to the citizens of the state of Arkansas, I want to say thank you for realizing the importance of business education to the state. To the private donors, who gave so generously for the technology equipment and furnishing for the building, thank you for giving our students the opportunity to dream and plan for successful careers in business.”
UCA President Allen Meadors said the new building has many attributes that will help prepare students for their future careers in the corporate world.
“But, I want to make sure that we never forget the reason that they will be great employees. It is because of the faculty,” he said.”They are tremendous and they care about the students. They will do whatever it takes to help a young man and woman to be ready to enter the workforce. All this does is make it easier.”
The UCA College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which requires compliance with a rigorous set of standards. This accreditation indicates that UCA succeeds in offering one of the best business programs in the world. In fact, fewer than 15 percent of business schools have earned this accreditation.
