Academics
Both are on track to be completed by late summer, with a ribbon cutting and grand opening planned for Aug. 11 just before the fall semester starts.
Located in the heart of the business community at Third and Broadway, the new home for Kelce College of Business will include room for programs that positively impact the business community as well as students. Among them:
Immediately inside the front door will be a large atrium — a gathering space with casual seating and study areas, designed to forge connections by students and faculty. It also has the flexibility to stage speakers and more formal events.
"It’s a place where students and faculty can feel connected with each other and the business community,” Grimes said.
A Student Engagement Center will provide space for advising, recruitment, and internship support, with meeting rooms for prospective students and their families.
While the Kelce College of Business has set the standard for excellence in education, is nationally recognized, and is ranked among the best business schools in the country, the building itself is severely outdated. It was constructed in 1951 to serve as the College High Laboratory School, where education students completed their practicum teaching.
That means no collaboration spaces, plenty of barriers to technology integration, and limits when it comes to being able to host conferences or speakers. The new building solves all of that.
“Our current facilities no longer meet the needs of our programs,” Grimes said. “This new space will allow us to teach, collaborate, and connect with the community in ways we’ve never been able to before.”
Provost Susan Bon noted that having students, faculty, and staff downtown every day will benefit the students — providing them a front door to internships and special projects within the business community — but also strengthen the life of the city.
“Our students, as well as our faculty and staff, contribute a great deal to the economy and having them within a few blocks of coffeeshops, restaurants, retail stores, and event venues will inject dollars into local businesses,” she said.
The renovation of one of the most historic structures in Pittsburg — a 13-story hotel that this year turns 100 — will make services offered to the public by the university more accessible.
Located at Fourth and Locust a block north of the new Kelce College of Business, the Besse Hotel will have easy access to Fourth Street, Locust Street, and two large public parking lots. On the first floor will be:
The Center for Reading was established by Professor David Hurford in 1996 to serve individuals with dyslexia and other reading difficulties using a system he developed. It provides evaluation, science-based intervention, and advocacy services, all based on best practices.
“To date, it has served thousands of children, but its location on the second floor of a building tricky to navigate and far from public parking is challenging for the general public,” said Wes Streeter, associate vice president for economic and community engagement.
The Small Business Development Center provides services to hundreds of small businesses throughout Southeast Kansas each year to help them navigate unique challenges and opportunities.
“Staff guide them through everything from marketing to cashflow projections, and they need room to better accommodate clients and staff,” he said.
A community meeting room for use by the public, small businesses, students, and entrepreneurs also will be part of the first floor.
On the second floor will be a mezzanine level where student residents can enjoy communal space and a laundry. Student residents will use an elevator to access their apartments on the 2nd through 12th floor.
Three floors will be reserved for business students, and special programming is planned for them as a cohort, giving them a living-learning community in which to thrive.
Each of the apartments on the 12th and 13th floors will be suite-style. Because the elevator doesn’t extend to the 13th floor, each apartment will be two-story and will feature two bedrooms on the 12th floor and a living space on the 13th floor that is accessible by staircase.
Students may begin registering to live there on Feb. 25, with a lottery system planned.
All work has been reviewed and approved by the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service because the building, dedicated in 1927, is on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Funding for both projects comes from a combination of private and public donors and partnerships; a grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce; and gaming revenue, a Revolving Loan Fund contribution, and in-kind support from the City of Pittsburg.
