YOUNGSTOWN STATE Business dean seeks new building

By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The dean of the Williamson College of Business Administration at Youngstown State University said the college needs a new home, preferably one with about 75,000 square feet of educational space.
Ideally, that space should include things like a student financial trading center, a 200-seat auditorium and additional room for business outreach programs, said Dr. Betty Jo Licata.
The college has 1,900 students enrolled this fall, including 150 in the MBA program, but it doesn't have adequate facilities to meet their needs, she said.
She told the university's Board of Trustees in an update on the planning process for a new building that the current facility in Williamson Hall on the south side of Lincoln Avenue is inadequate to support the college's teaching, research and outreach responsibilities.
"We're simply not competitive [with other business schools]," she said, adding that building a new, state-of-the-art facility would be a major tool for student recruitment. The college hasn't experienced an enrollment decline in recent years, but it must take steps to keep its recruitment effort strong to keep its numbers up, she said.
"The quality of space will make a huge difference," she said.
Plans
There are no concept drawings or even cost estimates yet, but Licata said the plan is to put up a new building on the south side of Rayen Avenue, a move that would expand the YSU campus' southern boundary in support of the university's master plan and provide a natural bridge to the nearby downtown business district.
A possible location has been identified, but the university doesn't own the land yet, she said, declining to be specific about the address.
Planning for a new business school building actually began in December 2003 with focus groups of faculty and students looking at the need.
In March of this year, the university hired the architectural firm of Burt Hill Kosar and Rittleman Associates of Butler, Pa., to identify specific goals and needs, space requirements and cost estimates.
That study will be completed within the next few weeks, Licata said.
Ideally, the new building will include an auditorium, a financial trading center and a video sales lab, she said.
Most new schools have a financial trading center with stock price feeds and educational software that give students a hands-on feel for the operation of the stock market, Licata said.
Other facilities
Student space such as student team breakout rooms, a New Ventures student incubator, where students could learn how to start their own small businesses, and experimental student retail space would be nice, too. The current building has none of those facilities, she said.
There also is a need for a conference center and community outreach space. An atrium cafe, business library and study lounge would be beneficial as well, Licata said.
The college already has a community business outreach program. For example, it has a Small Business Development Center, but it's located in the Youngstown Business Incubator in downtown Youngstown. It has other, smaller centers in the college, but it would be beneficial to have all of those programs in one location, Licata said.
The university is looking at a new Williamson College of Business Administration building as a key component of its centennial capital campaign, said Dr. David C. Sweet, YSU president.
The plan is to raise funds from private contributors to build it, just as the university did with the newly opened $12.1 million Andrews Student Recreation & amp; Wellness Center, he said.
The university needs to have some concept drawings prepared before it begins approaching potential donors, Sweet said.
Within a couple of months, the planning process should be at the point where the administration will come back to the trustees with a proposal of what it wants to build and what it can afford, he said.
Once a new building is in place, Williamson Hall can provide much-needed space for other campus programs, Licata said.