Contact: Sammy McDavid
A $10 million gift from an anonymous donor will make possible a new 45,000-square-foot building adjoining McCool Hall at Mississippi State University.
A portion of the funds will be used to renovate the 28-year-old structure that houses the College of Business and Industry.
"We are very pleased to secure this gift for McCool Hall, a building constantly utilized by many university and external groups," said Dennis Prescott, MSU vice president for external affairs. "A gift of this nature always is welcomed because state resources alone cannot keep pace with the university's building needs."
Organized in 1915, the College of Business and Industry is the oldest of its kind in the state and one of the oldest in the South. The 3,000-student college, which also includes the School of Accountancy, has occupied McCool Hall since alumnus E.B. "Dutch" McCool, a founder of the Holiday Inn motel chain, provided money in the early 1970s to match funds approved by the Mississippi Legislature.
Since that time, the college has added nearly a dozen undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition, McCool Hall serves regularly as the site for standardized test administrations and university orientation programs, among other non-college events.
Because McCool is located on the western edge of the historic Drill Field, expansion of McCool will provide the university with additional centrally located classrooms. An atrium will connect the existing building with the new structure, which will house additional classrooms and a new auditorium.
"Additional space and facilities are a key element to the college's strategic plan and a new facility will provide the environment for an outstanding College of Business and Industry for the 21st century," said Dean Sara Freedman. "The new complex is essential to enhancing our outstanding academic programs, research and outreach.
"It also will allow us to incorporate the latest teaching methods and technologies," Freedman added.
The College of Business and Industry recently was reaccredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Of more than 1,300 collegiate business programs in the United States, only about 400 hold the highly selective AACSB designation.
For more about the planned McCool Hall expansion, contact Dean Freedman at (662) 325-2580.