Having been so closely involved with the funding for the Tanner Building Addition, I’m pleased to report that the money is being well spent. Not only is the construction progressing well, but the addition is shaping up to be a great building.

You might have gathered from past correspondence how much the new facility is needed—with student enrollment up 66 percent since the building’s dedication in 1983. But what you might not know is how much research, planning, and hard work have gone into the construction.

Let me tell you about some of the great people who have helped make this happen. We’ve had:

A great architectural team, led by Mark Wilson, principal architect, and Osamu Uchiyama, architectural designer, of FFKR Architects in Salt Lake City. They are a premier architectural firm that is responsible for the recent renovations to the Salt Lake Tabernacle and designed Abravanel Hall, the BYU Jerusalem Center, and BYU’s new Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center. An interesting side note is FFKR also designed the original N. Eldon Tanner Building.

A great building committee, headed by Richard Dalebout, associate professor of business law. This committee consists of Marriott School faculty and administrators who have visited and consulted with more than a dozen other business schools to see what works and what doesn’t. Students have also had a say in what is needed. As a result the space has been very carefully planned. Students sitting in the ten new tiered case rooms will have a clear view of the professor, white boards, screens, and each other. The addition will provide a net increase of roughly 900 classroom seats and will also be technically advanced with fiber optics, wireless internet, video conferencing, and extra power.

A great construction crew, with Jacobsen Construction project managers Kip Walter and Cable Murray overseeing the addition and Kent Walter and Dee Jorgensen managing the parking structure. They are working within budget to complete the building by the end of July despite heavy snowfall, unusually cold winter temperatures, and an early decision to utilize an alternate footing system.

And finally, great support from the Marriott School family: the National Advisory Council and our faculty, administrators, staff, and students. We have only $2.5 million more to raise and are counting on your continued support to help complete funding for the project. We are anxious for everyone to have an opportunity to participate. We are grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support from the Marriott family, the Tanner family, and NAC members, many of whom have contributed more than $1 million. Each of you has played an essential part in bringing this facility to fruition.

When we began this project, we focused on the theme: Expand, enhance, engage, and enlighten. Now as we are well along the path, we see its application to what we’ve learned. We’ve expanded our idea of what is possible, enhanced our appreciation for those who have come forward to help, engaged many people in the process, and enlightened our understanding of what we’re really about—building and training leaders who will impact the world for good.

Thank you for supporting this very worthy endeavor.

Sincerely,



Ron Seamons
Assistant Dean