111“When we started with 145 students in 1970, I could not have imagined that we’d be well over 3,300 students now in our business college alone,” said business college Dean H. James Williams at the May 25 ground breaking ceremony.

The $40 million project, named after GVSU Board of Trustees founding chair William Seidman, has raised nearly $23 million of the $25 million needed in private funds. To help close the gap, the ground breaking introduced the Seidman Center DeVos Challenge, in which lead campaign donors Rich and Helen DeVos announced they would match all new and additional gifts made through June 30 dollar-for-dollar.

“The Seidman College of Business is truly one of the success stories of Grand Valley State University,” said President Thomas J. Haas. “It is an excellent example; in fact, I think it’s the exemplar of how the private/public partnerships work between West Michigan and this university. “

The 110,000-square-foot center will be four stories tall and host the small business and technology development center in addition to the business college. The building will also include a multipurpose room with the capacity to house over 200 people, a simulation trading room, student collaboration and study spaces, and a place on the first floor for the college’s various outreach programs.

For more information or to donate to the L. William Seidman Center campaign, visit www.gvsu.edu/giving.

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