Missouri State’s College of Business: Student Success Center at Glass Hall

business.missouristate.edu

If you’ve been on campus recently, you may have noticed that there’s a significant building project at Missouri State’s College of Business.  This project, which has been in the works since 2012, is a 40,000 square foot addition to Glass Hall, named the “Robert Gourley Student Success Center,” and, a complete renovation of the existing 173,000 square foot Glass Hall building.  While Glass Hall was constructed in 1987, this is the first major renovation that has occurred in 30 years, and we are very excited about it!  

Why did we think this was necessary?  Well, times have changed.  Students learn differently than they did 30 years ago—they’re much interested in integrative learning, which combines theoretical classroom study with application of knowledge through hands-on application.  Technology has also changed the face of education.  And students want to study and learn collaboratively.  The renovation and addition to Glass Hall is an exciting move in the direction of cutting-edge technology, collaborative learning spaces, and experiential learning laboratories where students apply what they’ve learned in the classroom.  

The five brand new learning laboratories include:  an entrepreneurship lab, where students can grow and develop ideas for new businesses; a financial trading lab that simulates the New York Stock Exchange floor and where students can execute real trades; a sales laboratory where students will  participate with our corporate partners in competitions and in practicing sales pitches; a cybersecurity and data analytics lab with state-of-the-art cyber software; and a think tank space where students practice creative thinking and problem solving on real-world business problems.  

In the College of Business it is our goal that every business student graduates with a job in hand in his/her field of expertise.  To this end, the Robert Gourley Student Success Center will contain a Center for Professional and Academic Success, which consists of a career placement office and a business advising office.  The career placement service connects students and future employers through career fairs, corporate information sessions, and professionalism workshops.  The business advising center ensures that students get personalized advising attention and are on track for graduation.  We will also provide a free tutoring lab for students who need additional help in quantitative methods.

We are highly committed to helping our business students develop a global mindset.  That is, our graduates need to be culturally competent and aware of the global nature of business and relationships.  We strongly encourage our business majors to complete a study abroad trip as one way to broaden their understanding of the global nature of business.  Glass Hall will contain a new International Business Programs office that highlights both upcoming and past study abroad opportunities.

With over 5,500 business majors, the Missouri State College of Business is poised to become a national leader in business education.  We are thrilled to open this new facility this fall.  Stay tuned for more specifics on the grand opening.