September 9, 2019

UM breaks ground on new College of Business building

The University of Montevallo broke ground on a new 10,000-square-foot Michael E. Stephens College of Business building on Sept. 5, officially beginning a project to greatly enhance the college’s offerings.

The new home for the College of Business will be a state-of-the-art and technology-rich facility. It will feature a large student commons and event space to facilitate interactions between students, faculty and the business community. Two additional technology-enhanced classrooms, student team study rooms, professional development spaces and a case presentation boardroom will add much-needed expansion spaces for the college.

The building will honor the memory of its namesake, Michael E. Stephens, who passed away in 2017.

“Thanks to the largesse of Allison Stephens and Michael E. Stephens, we’ve designed a building that is going to honor Michael’s memory and honor the vision that Allison has for Montevallo. In my 10 years of knowing Michael, this was his dream. He always wanted a new building for the College of Business, and so I’m so grateful that this day has come,” said UM President Dr. John W. Stewart III.  “It will serve students well into the next generation. Breaking ground today is emblematic of the trajectory our University is enjoying.”

The new building will help further the success the College of Business has seen over the years, and will continue an upward trend in the college’s enrollment.

“It’s very exciting to be able to have this new facility to reflect the work the students and faculty have done together and to honor Mike’s legacy and his desire to see this college thrive,” said Dr. Stephen H. Craft, dean of the College of Business. “These are exciting days to be studying business. Our enrollment is up, and we’re having great outcomes for students. This will allow us to enhance that process. I think Mike would be very happy to see that this facility is going to be dedicated to the work the faculty do and to know that this facility is going to have a direct impact on the lives of faculty and students.”

The new building will be adjacent and attached to Morgan Hall and Humanities Hall, where the college is currently housed. Once the new building is complete, the college will maintain its presence in Morgan Hall and Humanities Hall.