COLUMBIA, S.C. (courtesy ciu.edu) — On the first day of the 2019-2020 school year, a couple staff members stood in the cavernous entryway to the new William H. Jones Global Business & IT Center directing students trying to find their way to the very first classes being held in the much-anticipated $20 million building.
It was May 2018 when a ceremonial groundbreaking at the entrance to CIU signaled the beginning of the project named for CIU Chancellor Dr. “Bill” Jones who also served as CIU’s sixth president. The Center is a training ground for best business practices at home and abroad; for business as mission; and a hub for the Monticello Road community business development.
“At first I didn’t think it would get done on time, but it’s beautiful,” sophomore Mackenzie Sanchez said about the building as she waited for her Introduction to Business class to begin. Sanchez and the other 50 students in her class could look out floor-to-ceiling windows and view a neatly landscaped hillside leading up to Monticello Road. Overhead and just behind Professor Amy Dubois was a huge media screen.
The two-story structure includes a number of classrooms, meeting rooms for collaborative projects, and offices for staff members including those involved in CIU’s rapidly growing online programs.
Meanwhile, roaming the hallway to take in the historic day was CIU Provost Dr. Jim Lanpher and Scott Adams, dean of the School of Business & Professional Studies, who said he is still in awe over this centerpiece for CIU’s growing business program.
“This is just wonderful,” Adams said as he struggled the find words to match his feelings. “This is the culmination of several years of planning to have a first-class business program. It’s just incredible. This is one of the most modern facilities for business schools in the state.”
The CIU IT Department is also located in the building, enhancing the campus IT functionality and infrastructure for all staff and students. It also offers the potential for IT academic programs in the future.
As contractors continue to put a few finishing touches on the building, a formal dedication is scheduled for Oct. 4.