SUU Breaks Ground on New Business Building
Published: August 28, 2024 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Southern Utah University (SUU) recently held its groundbreaking ceremony for the Joe and Beverly Burgess Family Business Center. The University’s new business building will be located on 600 W. University Blvd in Cedar City and support SUU’s Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business’ impressive growth over a few short years.
“We anticipated that our current business building, completed in 2018, would provide for our needs for many, many years. Or so we thought…” explained Ken Hall, Dean of the Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business.
“However, in the last seven years, student enrollment in the Leavitt School of Business has exploded, growing two and a half times from 1,011 students to nearly 2,500 students this fall! Our number of full-time faculty also increased in that same time period from 26 to 53.”
Spanning 22,000 square feet across two stories, the Joe and Beverly Burgess Family Business Center will connect to SUU’s current business building through the Alan and Kathy Hamlin Skybridge, enhancing accessibility and collaboration among faculty and students.
Other highlights of the new building include:
- A state-of-the-art professional sales center
- A dedicated career services center
- A classroom and lounge to specifically support SUU’s expanding graduate programs
- An outdoor pavilion and event area to host events for students, employers, faculty, and friends of SUU
38 additional faculty offices to support continued enrollment growth - The William and Patricia Child Magnet Space, a central space on the main floor that can be utilized for student clubs, recruiting events, and networking events.
The realization of the new business building is the result of the generous donations from the building’s namesakes, Joe & Beverly Burgess, as well as the support of other donors including, Bill and Pat Child, Alan and Kathy Hamlin, Mark and Jeri Russell, Ken and Kim Scriber, Vince Rosdahl, and Wittwer Management/Boulevard Homes for their vision and support.
Architectural design for the building is led by MHTN Architects, and Zwick Construction has been appointed as the general contractor with oversight from the Utah Division of Facilities and Construction Management and SUU Facilities Management.
Construction on the new building will begin shortly and is set to be complete and ready for classes by spring semester of 2026.
About the Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business
Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business at Southern Utah University comprises five undergraduate degree programs including BA/BS degrees in accounting; economics; finance; hotel; resort and hospitality management; management; and marketing. It also includes graduate programs in accounting (MACC), in business analytics (MSBA), and in business administration (MBA) - with an emphasis in leadership, marketing, finance, business analytics, healthcare administration, project management, and soon, human resources.
More than 50 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching, mentoring, and supporting the nearly 2,500 students at the Leavitt School of Business, as well as the student clubs that include accounting, economics, finance, HRHM, management, marketing, entrepreneurship, and professional sales. For more information about the Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business, visit www.suu.edu/business.
Tags: Campus FacStaff Donor-Impact School of Business Community Academic
Contact Information:
Brooke Heath
4355865400
brookeheath1@suu.edu