Friday, November 30, 2001

New facility means one less parking lot
By Jordan Blum
Staff Reporter

Students will lose all 143 parking spaces in the Dan Rogers parking lot at the beginning of next semester as construction begins on the Sarah and Steve Smith Entrepreneurs Hall, said university architect Larry Garrison.

Edd Bivin, vice chancellor for administrative services, said no date has been set to begin construction for Smith Hall due to pending permit approval, but preparation will begin shortly after Dec. 15 and construction will begin sometime between the end of finals and Jan. 15.

“We’re going to be taking some parking spaces out but that’s what has to be done for progress,” he said.

Bivin said construction for Smith Hall will last approximately 15 to 18 months so the building can be ready by fall semester 2003.

Garrison said many students will be cramped for parking next semester but students will have some parking relief from the 143 spaces that were opened up in the parking lot behind Beasley Hall during the summer.

Robert Lusch, dean for the M.J. Neeley School of Business, said Smith Hall will create more classroom space and decrease class size in Tandy Hall and Dan Rogers Hall.

“This facility (Smith Hall) is being built from the ground up to be a great learning environment,” he said. “It will not be used to house faculty but to create high-quality learning space.”

Smith Hall will house the James A. Ryffel Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the Charles Tandy American Enterprise Center, 12 or 13 classrooms, a cafe, 18 study rooms, an MBA lounge, a few staff offices and a conference room that can hold up to 140 people for special meetings, Lusch said.

William Moncrief, senior associate dean for the Neeley school, said Smith Hall will not have any faculty offices and will focus on being student-friendly with the cafe, lounges and study rooms.

David Minor, director for the Ryffel Center, said moving the entrepreneurial program into Smith Hall will help recruit more students into the entrepreneurial major and provide the Neeley school with greater prestige.

“There’s only three or four other schools in the country with buildings dedicated to entrepreneurship,” Minor said. “This new building will really help put us on the map. We’ve fast become one of the premier entrepreneurial programs in the country and the word is getting out and we’re receiving recognition.

“This major is perceived as fast becoming one of the flagship programs of the business school.”

Jordan Blum
j.d.blum@student.tcu.edu