Ribbon cutting, tours planned to celebrate completion  of Kelce College of Business building and Besse Hotel renovation

Pittsburg State University and the community will celebrate the completion of two transformative projects — the new home of the Kelce College of Business and the fully renovated historic Besse Hotel — with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and self-guided tours at both buildings on Aug. 11. 

The events are open to the public. 

At 10 a.m., a short program and ribbon cutting will be held at the new business building, 216 N. Broadway. 

At 10:45 a.m., a short program and ribbon cutting will be held at Besse Hotel at the main entrance on Fourth Street. 

Following the ribbon cuttings, each building will be open to the public for self-guided tours until 1 p.m. 

Kelce College of Business

Faculty and staff already have begun moving into the new home to the Kelce College of Business. It was designed to strengthen connections between students and the business community while providing modern, technology-rich learning environments. 

Besse Hotel

Today, students began moving into Besse Hotel at Fourth and Locust; it has been transformed into student apartments and mixed-use space after standing vacant for years. The renovation preserves one of the most iconic structures in Southeast Kansas. In addition to apartments, the building also houses the Center for Reading, the Small Business Development Center, and ConnectEd PSU, all of which serve the community. 

Read more about the Kelce and Besse projects here.

Get a sneak peek inside the Besse Hotel with this video tour: