Business is Booming

This week my colleagues and I had the opportunity to tour William & Mary’s new Mason School of Business Facility, Miller Hall.  WOW!  That is one impressive building.  Modeled after the landmark Wren Building, Miller Hall has the beauty of the old with the amenities of the modern.  The stunning atrium with 60′ ceilings and a stunning skylight welcomes you but is truly only the beginning.

The classrooms, designed after intense faculty-student research, fit one of two models: one is the traditional case study lecture style while the other is a reconfigurable classroom which allows students to transition easily from facing the professor to sitting together in teams.  The building also features a cafe, outdoor courtyard, a 4000-square-foot ballroom, a library, an electronic-trading classroom, group meeting rooms which are scheduled by digital  touch pads, and marketing research rooms.  Throughout the building, state-of-the-art technology is featured from the high-tech classrooms to the Samsung flat screens which flash announcements and news flashes.  Additionally, the $75 million dollar facility (raised entirely through fundraising endeavors) is seeking LEED certification.  Recycled and local materials were used throughout the construction process and the building was designed with sustainability in mind, designed to last 100 years.

Following the W&M model, Miller Hall was built with community in mind.  Dean Larry Pulley hopes that students will feel like they can come in first thing and stay all day.  The building features plenty of social areas including several lounges with working fireplaces, the courtyard, and the cafe.   The already highly-ranked Mason School of Business can only expect bigger and better things thanks to Miller Hall.

– Wendy Livingston