NewHavenBIZ

10 n e w h a v e n B I Z | N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m In September, SCSU hosted a formal groundbreaking for its future School of Business building, which is being constructed near the intersection of Farnham and Wintergreen avenues. e new $52.4 million, four-story, 60,000-square-foot facility will double the business school's available space and is expected to open in early 2023, said School of Business Dean Jennifer Robin. "We are a growing school, we have grown our faculty pretty significantly," Robin said. "All of our offices will be co-located. We will have most of our classes in that building. It will create a sense of place for our students, faculty and staff, which is really exciting." More is better e business school currently has 52 full-time and 20 part-time faculty members, and 1,104 full- and part-time students. at includes 69 full-time and 35 part-time MBA students. e new building will feature nine general classrooms, plus specialized classrooms and lecture halls. It will have a behavioral lab area with an ob- servation room, a community room for up to 100 people, a large classroom and administrative suite for the MBA pro- gram, and an area for financial market and data analytics. e building will have office space for the dean, faculty and staff, and will fea- ture a stock market ticker visible from the outside. It is also designed to be environmentally friendly, or net-zero in terms of carbon emissions. Programs for career planning and job searches will take place there, and it will have space for students to meet with poten- tial employers. Currently, there are two large classrooms in the School of Business' existing building, and business students have also attended classes in a neigh- boring property and across campus. "More of our classes will be able to be located in the [new] School of Business building than is possible now," Robin said. Bertolino said it was too expensive to tear down the existing School of Business building, and cost-effective to invest in a new facility. Once the new building is finished, the current one will be allocated for other uses, which have yet to be determined, he said. ere is a significant demand for business-related coursework, partic- ularly at the graduate level, Bertolino said, noting how many people are switching careers nowadays and look- ing for new opportunities. "A lot of companies, corporations and organizations are looking to train and retrain their employees," Bertolino said. "e school provides an opportu- nity to partner with regional and state entities to bring people up to speed or train them to come in." Robin said there are several business fields that are seeing growth, such as marketing research, management and all aspects of finance. Coveted accreditation SCSU has been making several changes in connection with its efforts to secure accreditation for its School of Business from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). e nonprofit organization has accredited some 900 business schools worldwide and is expected to conduct an accreditation visit to SCSU this spring. Robin is expected to play a pivotal role in the business school's growth. L eaders at Southern Connecticut State University have a plan to attract more students who want to be future business leaders. at plan? A brand new, more modern School of Business building, expanded business-related coursework, additional faculty and accreditation. SCSU President Joe Bertolino said the goal is for more students interested in business to make the New Hav- en-based school their top choice. Asked about his ambitions for the School of Business, Bertolino said it is "to provide greater access to students who may not otherwise have the opportunity." "Now, [the business school] is a nice size, but there is a need and a desire to expand," Bertolino said. e new building "will provide much needed business lab space, and an opportunity to be involved in business work in real time. It will mean more opportunities to engage with business leaders." By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo With new $52.4M facility, Southern CT State Univ. makes big bet on business school Major Upgrade Jennifer Robin, dean of the School of Business, poses in front of the construction site for the school's new building. PHOTO | COURTESY SCSU SCSU President Joe Bertolino

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