Community members joined the Southern Adventist University Board of Trustees along with students, employees, alumni and donors to break ground on the new Ruth McKee School of Business facility in Collegedale.
Located off University Drive in front of Mabel Wood Hall, the site is the first thing visitors see when they arrive on Southern’s property.
“This location sets the tone for the quality, professional education that all enrolled students receive,” said Ellen Hostetler, vice president for Advancement. “At 50,000 square feet, the new building will provide nearly five times the current space for this academic area and is scheduled to be completed in 2025.”
“Lives will be changed,” said board member Jim Davidson, executive secretary of the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, who welcomed the audience and opened the service with a prayer . “This ripple effect will go on and on for eternity.”
Flanked by a backhoe, a forklift, an excavator and a bulldozer, Mr. Davidson joined Southern President Ken Shaw and Stephanie Sheehan, dean of the School of Business, in lifting golden shovels of dirt to mark the start of construction.
“For students, this ceremony is symbolic of the opportunities that lie ahead,” said Roman Johnson, senior director. “Space to acquire knowledge, cultivate creativity and prepare for the competitive business world.”
With a 10 percent increase in enrollment over the past five years, the School of Business, the second-largest academic discipline on campus, welcomed its largest class of 133 new students this fall. Currently, there are more than 450 business and applied technology majors within 16 undergraduate and graduate programs.
“The new name of the Business School honors the co-founder of McKee Foods, best known for Little Debbie snacks, who embodies integrity, wisdom, insight and beneficence, the same qualities we strive to instill in each of our graduates”. said Mr. Sheehan. “We are equipping the next generation of world-class business leaders and fostering an environment for Christian business principles to be experienced and practiced.”
Southern student Brittany McKee East explained how her great-grandmother was “ahead of the times” as a well-rounded businesswoman with a powerful voice and a legacy that lives on through family and business as well as the university.
The four-story structure will house a spacious auditorium, an innovation lab, and an investment lab with computers to analyze real-time financial market data, all to enhance cross-departmental innovation, entrepreneurial opportunities, and business creation. networks between the community and students.
More than 80 percent of the $20 million campaign goal, which also includes a program endowment, has been raised through donations and pledges. Ground preparation is underway, and construction will soon follow. See southern.edu/gobusiness for information on ongoing developments.
