Tentative Naming Opportunities
Numerous naming opportunities are available to recognize donors making significant gifts to the addition. Naming a classroom, faculty office or other space will permanently associate the donor's name, or the name of the family member or other individual the donor seeks to honor, with the Robins School and the University of Richmond.
Naming of the Building
The addition to the Robins School of Business will be a state-of-the-art facility that will add over 30,000 square feet of space for classrooms, offices, and discovery-based learning areas for business education. A trading room, business research center, intimate 225-seat auditorium, and gathering spaces will be the highlights of the new facility. The building will be the first visible structure from the north entrance of campus, and will reinforce the award-winning architectural style of the University. The total cost will be between $12 and $15 million.
The Tower
The most dramatic feature of the building will be the Gothic tower on the northeast corner of the addition. The tower will not only provide a breathtaking entrance to campus, but will be highly functioning on the inside. On all floors, the tower will be central passage way, and a nexus of activity for student and faculty interaction.
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
This exciting new initiative will be housed in the new Robins School addition and will serve as the hub of teaching, learning, research and all activity involved in the entrepreneurial and innovative process. The Center will involve faculty and students not only from the Business School, but also the schools of Arts & Sciences, Leadership, Law and the business community at large. Furthermore, the Center will promote cross-disciplinary research and teaching which will be essential in understanding the important role that innovation and entrepreneurship play in economic development in a global environment.
The Auditorium funded
The Auditorium will seat 225, but still maintain an informal and intimate setting. This space will be the future setting for the Executive on Campus Program, the honors convocation, and other guest lecturers for the Robins School and the University as a whole.
Trading Room funded
The Trading Room will provide the physical space, hardware, plasma screens, ticker, and furnishings for students and faculty to study financial markets in an interactive learning environment.
Wings (3)
Learning Wing
Located on the second floor, this cluster of three case-style classrooms will be the intellectual heart of the addition. Almost every business school student will have a class in one of these three, technologically savvy rooms.
Center for Undergraduate Education
The Center for Undergraduate Education will house the offices for the Associate Dean and its staff, the Student Lounge, the Business Center, the Goodwin Professional Development Center, the Technology and Information Center, and the Student Organization Space.
Faculty Wing
The faculty wing will house 10 - 15 faculty members and their staff support.
Business Research Center
Providing a state-of-the-art facility for a variety of marketing and management teaching and research, the Business Research Center will accommodate focus groups, marketing and economics experiments, interpersonal skill development activities, and student presentation skill activities.
Café funded
Creating a learning community is part of the Robins School mission. A physical space that invites conversation and community is central to the design of the new addition. The café will have a coffee bar, will offer simple food, will be centrally located, and will have a number of tables and chairs to encourage conversation.
Technology and Information Center
The computer lab of the future will look different from those of today. The building will be wireless and laptops will be able to be used at many locations in the building. However, students will need access to specialized equipment and software to achieve at their highest levels and produce sophisticated products. The Technology Center will provide access to resources that cannot be carried around in a laptop in addition to public PCs.
Program Centers (3)
Professional Development Program Center funded
The PDP Center will house offices for its director, assistant director and administrative assistant, a reception area and a small conference room. The PDP has become vital in building the “soft” skills of Robins School students.
Learning Center
These two case-style classrooms will be used daily and be showcased to the greatest number of students and campus visitors due to its central location.
Faculty Center
Faculty will share this unique space on the third floor with an assistant.
Entrance Lobby
This premier naming space will be the gateway that will bridge the Richmond Community with the Robins School of Business. Situated off of the main entrance from Campus Drive, most visitors to the building will come through these doors. From the Entrance Lobby, all visitors will be able to sense the excitement and dedication to business learning in the building.
Reception Gallery funded
Students, faculty, and visitors will be able to gather in this reception gallery. It will be adjacent to the Auditorium, and will serve as a reception site before lectures and meetings and also accommodate small dinners and luncheons.
Faculty Lounge
The new wing will have a stunning faculty gathering space on the third floor. Linking offices from two parts of the building, the lounge will be a focal point for faculty conversation, interaction, and creativity.
The Board Room
The Board Room will provide a place for meetings, quiet conversations, and occasional meals for groups such as the Executive Advisory Council, academic or administrative departments, alumni and business people. This space also will allow the Dean to entertain before or after special campus speakers or events. The room would have a library décor and will be used as a reading room when not in use for meetings.
Student Lounge being held
The Student Lounge will provide students and faculty a place to study, interact and congregate between classes, thus assisting in building a stronger sense of community in the Robins School. This area can be used to carry over classroom conversation, faculty-student advising meetings, and group study.
Case-Style Classrooms (5)
Case-style classrooms will provide a tiered learning environment for students. Technology will be available at each student station and at a specially designed station for professors to incorporate technology into their curriculum. These classrooms will accommodate 30 students.
Courtyard funded
On the western side of the building, there will be a courtyard where students, faculty, and alumni can gather. Ample seating and tables will be provided to facilitate interaction between the different constituents of the Robins School in a tranquil setting.
Single-Level or Seminar Style Classrooms (4)
Single-level classrooms will give students and faculty flexibility to transform their learning space into any format they wish. Movable desks and chairs will allow maximum flexibility and accessibility. Faculty will teach from a specially designed station that will allow them to incorporate technology into their curriculum. These classrooms will accommodate 16 students.
Business Center funded
Students will have all of their needs met at the Business Center with access to a fax machine, copier, computers with printers, phones, and perhaps an ATM.
Student Organization Space
There are a multitude of student groups in the Robins School ranging from the Student Managed Investment Fund, to honorary societies for departments. Across campus, student organizations need meeting space. This will allow Robins School student organizations to have a designated space within a large room, and share common meeting space to meet with their classmates and advisors easily.
Office Suite
This space on the third floor will provide office space for faculty members and their assistant. These offices are located in a unique cluster, separated from the main hallway of faculty offices.
Control Room of the Business Research Center
This will be the key component of the Business Research Center where faculty and students can manage focus groups, experiments and exercises.
Conference Rooms (2)
These are multi-use rooms for students, faculty and administrators for short-term projects, conferences, meeting, and overflow work space. These rooms are larger than a break-out room, and more flexible than a classroom.
Breakout Rooms (5)
Students will be able to study individually or in groups in these technologically savvy rooms. With more and more group study projects taking place in the Robins School curriculum, additional space is needed to provide quiet space for student teams to meet. These versatile rooms can also be used as interviewing rooms.
Faculty and Professional Offices – Large (2) 1 funded
Faculty and Professional Offices – Regular (21) 11 funded
Currently, 11 Robins School faculty are housed in Weinstein Hall, and there are eight additional positions to be hired for the Business School to reach its goal for tenured and tenure track faculty. For the Business School to be an active academic community, all of its professors need to be housed in the same facility.
Clerical Offices (11) 1 funded
As the faculty grows and our programs become more sophisticated, additional support and space are needed.
Student –Faculty Research Spaces (10) 4 funded
Business education in the future will involve even more hands-on research by students, in collaboration with faculty. Dedicated research space for collaborative learning will allow students and faculty to work together toward truly meaningful discovery.
Bricks for Courtyard
Naming a brick in the new courtyard is a wonderful way for current students and younger alumni to get involved in the Campaign, and make a lasting legacy. Donors can name bricks for themselves, or in honor/memory of a favorite professor, family member or friend.
If you are interested in learning more about Robins School naming and gift opportunities, please contact O.T. Crowther (804-287-1974) in the University Advancement Office.