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Knight Management Center Breaks Ground

After years of detailed planning and rallying the financial support of early investors, the Knight Management Center broke ground recently, putting the Stanford Graduate School of Business one step closer to its future home. The milestone came after the Stanford University Board of Trustees approved the commencement of the project, a decision that was heavily influenced by the outpouring of generosity from donors.

The school has raised millions from alumni and friends spanning generations, continents, and business sectors. Donors have been united in their desire to be a part of the next chapter of the business school. The campus will be named after a lead gift by Nike Chairman Philip H. Knight, MBA ’62. Occupancy is scheduled for academic year 2010–11.

One anonymous donor has made a commitment to honor the legacy of former Dean Ernest C. Arbuckle, a contribution that will be recognized through the naming of the dining pavilion. This will allow the social hub of the Knight Management Center to retain the name of one of the school’s best-loved leaders, since the existing cafeteria has been known as the Arbuckle Lounge—or simply “Arbuckle”—to legions of GSB students, faculty, and staff over the years.

“It is fitting that we will carry to our new campus the name of the man who helped reinvent the GSB as a world-class school of management,” says Dean Robert L. Joss.

The school has been working with BOORA Architects over the past few months to advance both the exterior and interior designs for the new campus. GSB faculty, students, staff, and alumni have provided detailed input as the team turns its attention to interior views of the spaces the GSB community will use every day—classrooms, office spaces, and the
Arbuckle Dining Pavilion.

As the designs are refined, the excitement around the Knight Management Center is building, with alumni continuing to make new commitments to the once-in-a-generation endeavor. Recent investors include Paul Ormond, MBA ’73, and his wife, Sue, who have committed $3 million to the project, a gift that will be recognized in the naming of the dean’s suite.

“It is exciting to contribute to such a tremendous milestone in the history of the school,” says Paul Ormond, who serves aspresident, chairman, and CEO of HCR Manor Care. “The new campus will truly reinforce the GSB’s position as a top educational institution by providing facilities that are as progressive as the teaching, research, and learning that occur there.”

The Knight Management Center will provide 100,000 square feet more space than the GSB’s current buildings. While the larger footprint is definitely needed, the method in which it is being configured is also paramount. The new campus is being designed to be more flexible and friendly to both users and the environment, reflecting and contributing to the GSB’s unique community and tradition of academic excellence.

To make a gift, or for more information on new campus gift opportunities, contact Sharon Marine, Associate Dean for Development, at 650.725.3213.