To see the Business Education Complex floorplans, click here.
More than 200 people watched the groundbreaking ceremony for the new $60 million Business Education Complex on Friday.The 156,000-square-foot complex is expected to be completed in December 2011 and will be located on the east side of Patrick F. Taylor Hall. The Lemoine Company is the contractor. The platform committee sat onstage and included Gov. Bobby Jindal and East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden. Private donations funded the first half of the complex’s expense, and the state provided a $30 million match. The complex’s first donation of $1.5 million came in 1998 — making the Business Education Complex a 12-year project. “In hard times, it’s delightful to have a chance to celebrate for a few moments,” Chancellor Michael Martin said.But the University still needs $8 million in private funds to complete the building, said Bill Slaughter, co-chair of the Louisiana Business Building Oversight Committee.”Every year, there are more capital outlay demands than there are dollars,” Jindal said. “Despite these constraints, we have made this commitment to make this project a priority. We made this historic investment because it is a tremendous step to strengthen the future of our flagship University.” Jindal and Eli Jones, College of Business dean, agreed higher education is critical to the state’s economic development. The E.J. Ourso College of Business is the only business school in the nation that doesn’t have its own building, said Jimmy Maurin, co-chair of the committee.”We will free up Patrick Taylor Hall for the College of Engineering, and we will renumber the rooms so they actually make sense,” Martin said. Students waved signs displaying phrases such as “LSU is building business” and “LSU means business.”The gameday theme was evident with purple and gold decorations, cheerleaders, gameday music and a large yellow Forever LSU banner hung on Patrick F. Taylor Hall — the College of Business’ current home.”The gameday theme best represents the celebration of making history in Louisiana,” Jones said. Anne-Marie Fontenot, accounting sophomore, stood on the platform and thanked the faculty and staff, the Forever LSU campaign, the state of Louisiana, alumni and friends for the new complex. “They challenged us to succeed and to make the LSU College of Business the best it can be,” Fontenot said. “I assure you, it will succeed.”English instructor Tania Nyman attended the ceremony with four other instructors dressed in black because they received letters of termination. Higher education is becoming unaffordable as a result of tax reforms repealed in 2008, Nyman said. Nyman, a life-long resident of Louisiana and supporter of the complex, hopes students appreciate that former students stepped up to make this happen. Without the support of alumni, the complex would not be possible, she said.The ceremony closed when 22 platform committee members held gold shovels and moved dirt to mark the beginning of a new home for the College of Business with about 25 students gathered behind them. The platform party handed the students their shovels and hard hats. —-Contact Sabrina Trahan at [email protected].