Gies Gets A $25 Million Gift For A New $105 Million Building

An artist’s rendering of the interior of the new $105 million building at Gies College of Business. ©LMN Architects

Less than a week after celebrating the fifth anniversary of its $150 million naming gift, the Gies College of Business today (Nov. 2) announced that it has received a $25 million pledge from an anonymous donor to help support a new four-story, nearly 100,000-square-foot building. The new addition to the business school will stand on Gregory Drive between the Business Instructional Facility (BIF) and Huff Hall. Construction will begin in spring 2023 and is expected to be completed by early 2025.

The gift to the University of Illinois Gies College was given by an alum, with the anticipation that the building will eventually be named by the alum, according to the announcement. The money will help fund a new South Campus Center for Interdisciplinary Learning (SCCIL), a building that will serve undergraduate and graduate students – both residential and online – as well as faculty and staff.

The new building will include a 200-seat auditorium, two 80-seat classrooms, and four 60-seat classrooms. In support of the college’s rapidly growing online programs, the new building will include two 40’x40’ sound stages, five black box studios, and six control booths. 18 additional meeting and collaborative rooms will provide expanded space for experiential learning, group work, and meetings with recruiters. Finally, 84 new office spaces will support the College’s growing faculty and staff.

An artist’s rendering of the new building to be constructed at Gies College of Business. ©LMN Architects

THE NEW $105 MILLION BUILDING WILL BE A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN GIES AND THE UNIVERSITY

News of the gift comes less than a week after the school marked the fifth anniversary of what is the second single largest gift to a business school from Larry and Beth Gies (see Five Years & A $150 Million Later, What A Mega-Business School Gift Can Do). At first, the Gies also declined to have their name on the school but were convinced to do so by Dean Jeffrey R. Brown who is apparently confident he can sway the new currently anonymous donor. Brown was named Dean of the Year in 2021 by Poets&Quants.

SCCIL is a partnership between Gies Business and the university campus to provide an advanced, high-tech facility serving both on-campus and online learners. SCCIL will provide additional studio space and recording capabilities to serve online courses and programs throughout campus; offer expanded collaborative space for experiential learning and group work; support enrollment growth with additional and much-needed larger classroom spaces for the south campus; and provide needed office space for Gies faculty and support staff that have increased to serve growing online programs.

“The support we receive from our alumni and friends is incredible, and they’re helping us building a momentum unlike anything we’ve seen in the history of this College,” said Dean Brown in a statement. “We have bold goals, and our alumni have supported us every step of the way. I’m so grateful for this latest $25 million gift for our new building. It helps ensure that we’re able to serve learners in new and exciting ways through every step of their educational journey.”

The school said that the new building is expected to cost approximately $105 million in total and will be constructed using a public-private partnership. Because it will be a shared building between various schools and colleges on the south end of campus, fundraising for the project will be shared. Gies Business will raise approximately $50 million – or half – of the total cost.

DON’T MISS: FIVE YEARS & $150 MILLION LATER, WHAT A MEGA-BUSINESS SCHOOL GIFT CAN DO or DEAN OF THE YEAR: JEFFREY BROWN OF GIES