Thursday, Oct. 12, marked the start of a yearlong sesquicentennial commemoration for the University of Nevada, Reno. The official groundbreaking for the new College of Business was a noteworthy event to highlight the University's 150 years of growth. 

"It will be a place where our students can interact and engage with business leaders from throughout the community and from around the world," Greg Mosier, dean of the College of Business, said. Other honorary speakers, including University President Brian Sandoval, United States Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and Mayor of the City of Sparks Ed Lawson attended in celebration with the University. 

As groundbreaking approached, Mosier revealed exciting details about the new building. Guests and students will enter through the Gateway Plaza, an outdoor space for special events and activities. The highly anticipated five-story, 128,000-square-foot project will stand beside a hotel and conference center, all connected by the Gateway Plaza. These conference and dining spaces will host significant regional events, while the hotel will host global business leaders. Guests will have an immersive, on-campus experience once constructed. One essential feature of the new building is a 300-seat auditorium dedicated to holding speaking engagements and business forums attended by industry experts, nationally recognized leaders, and students. 

"Academics, members of industry, entrepreneurs and students will collaborate here in the pursuit of our educational, research and outreach mission that directs us, to work together, to create a highly diversified, vibrant, technologically enhanced economy for all Nevadans," Mosier said.

Anticipated to open in fall 2025, the new College of Business will embody all the hallmarks of a 21st-century business school. The future of business will leverage familiar resources like the Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship alongside new spaces like the Finance Suite. The suite will include offices, laboratories and classrooms centered around finance. An enticing section within the Finance Suite is the well-equipped real-time trading lab for students to experience simulated investment trading. As marquee companies like Apple, Microsoft, Panasonic and Tesla migrate to the Reno-Tahoe region, it is critical that the new building utilize optimized, up-to-date technologies to give students the tools and settings to add value to Northern Nevada companies. 

Another new area in the business building is the Collaborative Space, curated for collaboration and social engagement. The Collaborative Space will reside on the ground floor for front and center multi-purpose use. 

"I can't help but look forward to the future and see what blossoms from the growth of the next generation within this new building. It's a place where innovation, collaboration and personal growth will thrive," Business Student Council President Giselle Tzintzun said at the groundbreaking event.