On Wednesday, September 14, 2022, West Michigan business leaders, the Calvin community, students, and the entire West Michigan community is invited to campus to celebrate the grand opening of the Calvin University School of Business building. Representatives of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce will also participate in the event.
A ribbon-cutting and brief dedication service will take place from 6:00-6:30 p.m. outside the new building (1810 East Beltline Avenue NE, Grand Rapids, MI). Guided tours of the facility will take place between 5:00-6:00 and additional tours and a reception will take place from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Parking is available in lots 14 & 15.
“We are delighted to open the School of Business doors to the west Michigan community,” said Jim Ludema, dean of the school. “We see this as a space where business leaders, faculty, students, and alumni will gather to explore and collaborate in ways that inspire innovation and ethical business practices. Its state-of-the-art technology and building design will enable us to further advance our position as a global leader in Christian business education.”
The School of Business at Calvin was established in 2021 following a $22.25 million anonymous gift—the largest single gift in Calvin’s history. Approximately half of the gift was used to build the 15,000-square foot School of Business building that features an atrium illuminated with natural light, a live NYSE stock ticker, a two-story video screen, state-of-the-art classrooms, technology-enabled breakout rooms, and private study carrels.
The remaining funding from the $22.25 million gift provides significant endowment funds that support growth initiatives for the new School of Business and its students and faculty. The endowment will serve as a catalyst for a number of new academic programs intended to serve new populations of students at Calvin.
Adding programs and space
The School of Business recently launched new offerings both at the graduate and undergraduate levels, along with a new startup incubator, the Calvin Startup Garage. The university’s portfolio of undergraduate offerings now includes Operations and Supply Chain Management, Marketing, Accounting, Financial Planning, Finance, Human Resource Management, and Entrepreneurship. The university also offers a Master of Accounting degree and, as of 2021, now offers a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.
“We are excited to continue to expand our offerings as we meet the needs of the market,” said Wiebe Boer, president of Calvin University. “Whether one is seeking an undergraduate or graduate degree or a certificate in business, what they will find at Calvin are excellent faculty, many of whom came from Fortune 500 companies, who are ready to equip students with Christian business principles and ethics for an ever-changing business landscape. This new building now provides an incredible space for our students to learn, network, grow, and excel as future business leaders.”
The dedication and ribbon-cutting will also be available via livestream at 6 p.m. ET.
About Calvin University
Founded in 1876, Calvin University is a top-ranked, liberal arts institution that equips its more than 3,200 students from 48 U.S. states, 55 countries, and five Canadian provinces to think deeply, to act justly, and to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world. Calvin offers 100+ majors and programs, including a growing portfolio of graduate-level offerings. Calvin students engage in intensive internships, community-based service learning, and significant research that results in publishing and presenting alongside world-class faculty. The university’s 400-acre campus is in the vibrant city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Discover more at www.calvin.edu.
