Dear Colleagues,
As we continue our important work of transforming lives and elevating our communities through education, we remain committed to ensuring our facilities promote the exchange of ideas, foster innovation and provide resources that enable our students to excel in their chosen disciplines. Today, I am happy to share with you the renderings for the new home of the Gordon Ford College of Business (GFCB), found here: https://www.wku.edu/businesscollege.
We have long recognized the need for a new GFCB building. Our 2021-2031 Campus Master Plan confirmed that Grise Hall, dedicated in 1967, had exceeded its useful life and identified a location on the former site of Tate Page Hall as the new home for our College of Business. In April 2022, the Kentucky General Assembly approved funding for this facility, representing the first allocation for a WKU capital project since 2014.
WKU’s association with business instruction in our region dates back to 1874 with the establishment of the Bowling Green Business University (BU). In 1963, our institution integrated the business programs of BU into our College of Business, later named to honor the generosity of former BU student Gordon B. Ford. This innovative building celebrates the nearly 150-year history of business education in our region, while also marking an exciting new chapter for our beloved university. We will break ground on this facility this summer, with plans for opening in fall 2025.
