James Madison University announces groundbreaking for COB2020

The College of Business at James Madison University will have a new look and feel in 2020.

On Friday, October 26 at 3:00 p.m. senior officials, alumni, students, and members of the community will officially break ground for the new 210,000 square-foot College of Business Learning Complex.

In addition to the groundbreaking, a significant donation to the ongoing fundraising campaign in support of the learning complex will be announced during this ceremony. This announcement continues the JMU community’s commitment to building the learning complex through the unique public-private partnerships that have contributed more than $11.4 million in private funds toward construction.

Remarks will be provided by JMU President Jonathan Alger; Dr. Michael Busing, interim dean College of Business; and two students. Tom Carr, a JMU alumnus who serves as the chair of the Board of Advisors with the College of Business and senior vice president of sales and emerging markets with SyCom Technologies in Richmond, will also provide remarks.

Enrollment in the JMU College of Business is at an all-time high. JMU’s business school has risen to 18^th in the country among public institutions. The existing facility, Zane Showker Hall, currently serves more than 5,000 students – twice its originally intended capacity.

The College of Business Learning Complex construction project will include both new construction and renovations to Showker Hall. Included in the new construction will be the Innovation, Creativity, Collaboration, and Entrepreneurship (IC²E) Lab, which will be the new home for the interdisciplinary Center for Entrepreneurship at JMU.

This modern learning complex will soon come to life and continue to optimize the outcomes of the JMU business and entrepreneurial learning models for students.

For additional information on the progress of this project and construction updates, visit www.jmu.edu/cob2020.

This event is scheduled to take place at the construction site of the new learning complex, beside Showker Hall, 421 Bluestone Drive. Should the weather become unfavorable, the ceremony will be moved to Sonner Hall, 481 Bluestone Drive.