Columbia International University breaks ground $20 million project
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Columbia International University is breaking ground on a $20 million business and IT center to help cater to its growing number of students majoring in business.
The William H. Jones Global Business and IT center will sit at the entrance of the campus along Monticello road and will over students more than 43,000 square feet of classrooms, meeting spaces and technology.
The project, which is set to be completed in 2019, is part of an overall larger revitalization effort the university is spearheading along Monticello Road.
"We've purchased six properties and we are committed to the revitalization of the corridor so it can look something like the Vista," Scott Adams, Dean of the School of Business, said. "We're willing to sell those to potential hotel or restaurant chains and ensure the economic development of the corridor north of I-20."
The new center will also offer a corporate training room for Columbia area business professionals to act as a catalyst for business development.
"This is a great day for the university and our city," Mayor Steve Benjamin, said. "Students here at CIU have a global impact when they enter into the workforce and this new building is going to provide them with endless opportunities."
High school students at Ben Lippen School will have access to the "Young Professionals Business and IT Academy" within the new building as well.
The university has raised more than $15.5 million of the estimated $20 million needed to complete the project.
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