Grand Valley State University will make a major announcement
regarding the new L. William Seidman building for the Seidman College
of Business in downtown Grand Rapids. The October 6 event will
acknowledge the community support for the building, which will be
named in honor of Grand Valley’s founding trustee. This comes as the
university is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Rich DeVos, general chairman of the Grand Valley University
Foundation, will give remarks, along with Thomas J. Haas, president of
Grand Valley; Doug DeVos and David Frey, co-chairs of the building
campaign titled Shares in a Common Future; and Tom Seidman, son of the
late Bill Seidman.
The event will take place Wednesday, October 6, in a tented area
located at the site of the proposed L. William Seidman Building, 38
Front Ave. in Grand Rapids.
MEDIA NOTE: The event begins at
11:15 a.m. with remarks at 11:45 a.m.; a mult box will be provided.
Guest speakers will be available for interviews after formal remarks.
The academic profile of Seidman students is now within the top
two business schools in the state. The leading-edge facility will
allow the Seidman College of Business to continue to recruit and
retain creative and talented students and faculty, and increase
classroom space to better serve students. It will also be a front door
for the business community, allowing for expansion in programs and
resources for business.
The new building will allow the college to meet the unique and
evolving needs of business professionals and will help Grand Valley
continue to play a key role in preparing the next generation of
leaders for Michigan’s new knowledge economy.
“The Seidman College of Business is vitally important to
producing young leaders for our region and our state,” said Grand
Valley President Thomas J. Haas. “The success of this project is a
reflection on the generosity of this community and the attractiveness
of Bill Seidman’s original vision for Grand Valley and for the
business school.”
The dean of the Seidman College, H. James Williams, said the
building will provide “a state-of-the-art business education center,
benefiting students and the region. We will be able to admit
additional students and further support Seidman’s role in economic
development throughout the state,” Williams said.
The Seidman College of Business has outgrown its shared space in
the DeVos Center. It serves 3,000 undergraduate students and 400
graduate students — many of whom will become future business leaders
in Michigan. SCB has nearly 200 employees, including 90 full-time
faculty members plus adjunct faculty and administrative staff.
The project will generate around 300 construction jobs and
additional permanent Grand Valley jobs as the Seidman College expands
in its new home. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of
2011, with the new building opening to students in 2013.
For more information, contact Grand Valley’s News and
Information Services office at (616) 331-2221.
Grand Valley to celebrate progress toward new home for Seidman College of Business
Sep 29, 2010
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