Marquette University plans to break ground this spring on a new $60 million facility for its business and innovation leadership programs.

Marquette president Michael Lovell announced the project last year during his annual campus address. The building will be at the corner of North 16th Street and Wisconsin Avenue. Marquette’s Board of Trustees recently approved the plan to break ground.

The Catholic, Jesuit school’s College of Business Administration has been housed at Straz Hall. At $60 million, the university said the 100,000-square-foot facility would be the largest fully donor-funded construction project in university history.

The project is expected to be complete at the end of 2022. Working with architectural firms BNIM and Workshop Architects, the university selected a four-story design. J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. will construct the facility, Marquette said.

The new academic building is planned to feature an open atrium, collaborative classrooms, lab and study spaces, and an event space for the region’s business community. Marquette also is planning for a café.

The first floor will house wraparound student support, including centralized advising with a Student Success Center and a Business Career Center, the university said.

Lovell said Marquette tailored its building plan based on lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic. The university has learned how much can be accomplished with digital tools, he said.

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