By Associated Press - Monday, April 17, 2017

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - A $62 million expansion project for Michigan State University’s business school is being designed as a pavilion, and is aiming to catch the eyes of Google or Apple executives.

The university’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve the project on April 13. The school has so far raised a little less than half of the projected cost, the Lansing State Journal (https://on.lsj.com/2omXUdM ) reported.

Eli Broad College of Business dean Sanjay Gupta said that the expansion will include about 100,000 square feet of new classrooms, laboratories, workrooms and gathering space. He said the workspaces’ added flexibility coupled with new technology will give students the experiences they need before starting their jobs at Google or similar companies.

“Collaboration is so critically important to businesses that we have to train students on how to be parts of those teams,” Gupta said. “It should be second nature to work collaboratively.”

The project is being funded solely by donations, including a $10 million matching grant from the Broad Foundation. The foundation has given nearly $100 million in total to the university.

An April 11 memorandum said that the existing space is preventing Michigan State’s ability to recruit prospective faculty and staff, and officials hope the new space will help serve as a recruiting tool.

“The current building lacks the appropriate quality and quantity of space commensurate with the college’s aspirations to improve rankings and increase competitiveness with peer institutions,” it states.

Construction is expected to begin this summer with expected completion in fall 2019.

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Information from: Lansing State Journal, https://www.lansingstatejournal.com

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