West Virginia University approves plans for $100 million business school building
The West Virginia University Board of Governors has unanimously approved construction plans for three major campus projects, include a new $100 million facility to house its business college.
The $100 million Reynolds Hall will be the new home of the John Chambers College of Business and Economics. It will be built on the Morgantown campus on the site of the former Stansbury Hall.
The other projects: a $35 million renovation of the 65-year-old Hodges Hall, a classroom building; and a $41 million upgrade of the Milan Puskar Center.
At nearly 180,000 square feet, Reynolds Hall “will not only be transformational in what it provides West Virginia University from an academic perspective, but it will also recast a portion of Morgantown’s waterfront into a hub of business activity," the university says in documents outlining the plan.
The demolition of Stansbury Hall has already begun. Reynolds Hall is expected to be ready for occupancy by June 2022.
The Hodges Hall renovation will result in contemporary classrooms; computer classrooms; seminar and meeting rooms; updated office spaces; improved technology for teaching; and a 210-seat testing center.
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences’ Women and Gender Studies, Native American Studies, and World Languages, Literature, and Linguistics will occupy the upper floors.
Occupancy is planned for June 2021.
The work at Milan Puskar Center includes expansion and renovation of spaces that are more than 10 years old, including the home team locker room, player lounge, equipment room, recovery suite, infrastructure, offices, team meeting rooms and other support spaces.
The project should be complete by July 2021.
The university says it will pay for the projects through a combination of private donations, auxiliary revenue, private financing and reserves.