SAU To Break Ground For Ruth McKee School Of Business Facility

  • Tuesday, September 19, 2023
  • Tina Frist Smith, communication manager
Community members are invited to join Southern Adventist University students, employees, alumni, donors and board of trustees members to break ground for the Ruth McKee School of Business on Friday, Sept. 29 at noon. 

The building site, located outside Mabel Wood Hall along University Drive in Collegedale, was prayerfully dedicated back in February, and the approximately 42,000-square-foot facility is set to be completed by 2025.

“The new name for the School of Business honors the co-founder of McKee Foods, best known for Little Debbie snacks, who embodied integrity, wisdom, acumen and beneficence—the same qualities we strive to instill in each of our graduates,” said Stephanie Sheehan, PhD, dean.

“The four-story structure will be the first thing visitors see when arriving on our campus, setting the tone for professional and quality education for all students who are enrolled at Southern,” said Ellen Hostetler, vice president for Advancement.

With a 10 percent increase in enrollment over the past five years, the current School of Business is the second largest academic area on the university’s campus.
In August, the largest class of incoming business students arrived to join the already tight academic quarters within Brock Hall.

The new building will be nearly five times as large as the School of Business’ existing space and
will house a spacious auditorium, an innovation lab and an investment lab with computers for
analyzing real-time financial market data.

“Our mission is to equip the next generation of top-tier business leaders,” Ms. Sheehan added. “Fostering an environment for Christian business principles to be experienced and practiced, this
new space will enhance cross-departmental innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities as well as community and student networking.”

More than 80 percent of the $20 million campaign goal, which also includes a program endowment,
has been raised through donations and commitments from alumni and friends of the university.
To learn more, visit southern.edu/gobusiness.
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