Written by Matthew Orquia
Southern Adventist University’s School of Business will have a new home once an upcoming building project is completed. July 2025 is the target date, according to Marty Hamilton, associate vice president for Financial Administration.
Current plans include a four-story, 40,000 to 42,000-square-foot building, Hamilton said. The budget for the new facility is projected at $15 million, he added, but the fluctuating prices of materials and uncertain start date can make projecting the budget difficult.
The new building will be located in front of Mabel Wood Hall between Harmony Lane and Hickman Drive.
“What we’re looking for is to anchor the entrance coming into campus,” Hamilton said.
Visitors entering campus from that side of University Drive currently see the Talge Hall parking lot, the Southern sign and Mabel Wood Hall. Hamilton stated that the new School of Business building would help provide people with a strong first impression of the campus before they reach the fountain on Taylor Circle. A welcome center in Fleming Plaza is also being considered, Hamilton said.
He added that the university plans to keep the design of the building cohesive with other buildings on campus, and Southern has worked with its own on-staff architect and will hire a second to help with the drafting process.
“We want something that’s stately, that fits into the skyline of the rest of campus,” Hamilton said. “ … We’re looking to have a beautiful building on that corner.
“These are still concepts, but there’s a lot of things that are probably going to occur. So it may not look exactly like this,” Hamilton said, regarding the mock-up of the new building. “ … There can be some slight changes and modifications as we move forward to get the floor plans all worked out.”
Though constructing a new building for the School of Business has been considered for many years, the project has gained traction in recent years.
“The School of Business has always been one of our strong majors,” Hamilton said. It has always been in the top five.”
A new building will help to alleviate some of the spatial constraints that Brock Hall presents, Hamilton added, referring to the building that currently also houses the School of Journalism and Communication (SJC), the School of Visual Art and Design (SVAD), English Department and History and Political Studies Department.
“We want to continue to grow and promote entrepreneurship with our students,” Hamilton said. “ … They need more space.”
Uses for the vacant space left in Brock Hall are currently undecided, Hamilton said. Previous construction projects like the Bietz Center for Student Life have allowed departments to be moved out of Lynn Wood Hall and Wright Hall into new accommodations and have freed up previously used space, according to Hamilton. Southern’s new engineering department, which will start next fall, will move into the open space in Lynn Wood.
“Southern is experiencing some growing pains, which is a great thing,” Hamilton said. “We’re excited about the future and attracting more students.”
