Business Hall at a Glance

• Facility:
  • Four stories
  • 98,300 square feet
• Student Space:
  • 3 Business Centers
  • 1 Graduate Center
  • 3 computer labs
  • 14 classrooms
  • 23 collaboration rooms
  • 7 conference rooms
• Faculty Space:
  • 70 faculty offices
  • 4 Department Suites
• Project Cost:
  • $63.2 million (nearly $46 million funded through the Building Our Future Act)
• Public Art:
  • Sculpture by artist Ed Carpenter

A New Home

Since opening the doors of its long-awaited new home in January 2017, the Rohrer College of Business (RCB) has released a
tide of new potential that will flow far beyond its campus. Launched for the Spring 2017 Semester, the new Business Hall features classrooms located in close proximity to faculty offices, student services, collaboration rooms and informal spaces for spontaneous interaction. Within the new four-story building located on Route 322, the College will increase enrollment, expand programming and empower students, faculty and collaborators to grow new opportunities, businesses and much more. Business Hall offers many more entrepreneurship-promoting features.

“Students have access to state-of-the-art technology, video conferencing equipment and other resources that enable them to better craft their narratives and develop their business models to compete in an ever-changing business world,” said Dr. Eric Liguori, who joined RCB as the Rohrer Professorial Chair in Entrepreneurship and executive director of the Rowan Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “The new building serves as a catalyst for action, and I think it sends a very clear message to the campus community that business and entrepreneurship are important.”

Entrepreneurship Across the Campus

This business-centric ecosystem touts an array of resources and programs. One of the most notable is Entrepreneurship Across the Campus, a partnership between RCB, the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and the College of Science & Mathematics. The interdisciplinary program fosters entrepreneurial thinking among students in all majors. As part of this initiative, RCB established a business accelerator where students will conceptualize and launch their own ventures.

“We are working to make the accelerator a vital resource for all students as it develops innovative approaches, commitment and persistence — skills that translate into all fields,” Dean Sue Lehrman said during the opening ceremony to a capacity crowd that included government officials and members of the business and Rowan communities. “Our new facility means that the accelerator offers the space where students can learn with — and from — one another.”

Centers for Success

A year after the RCB launched Entrepreneurship Across the Campus in partnership with the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and College of Science & Mathematics, we established a vibrant business accelerator that is exploding with students’ concepts and creative energy. On the second floor of Business Hall, white board-covered walls are brimming with financial projections, diagrams and other germs of ideas just waiting to jump into action within RCB’s business accelerator for student and faculty startups.

“Students populate it at all hours of the day and night, particularly to work on nascent ventures,” said Kimble Byrd, professor of management and entrepreneurship. “They also receive mentoring and support, and it gives them a place and a space where they can engage with one another.”

No matter how hard students hit the books, if they lack professional polish, their efforts may go unnoticed. Whether they seek advice during weekday drop-in hours, sharpen their skills in career-readiness workshops or network at employer events, students are refining their professional expertise at the Rohrer Center for Professional Development (RCPD).  In the glass-walled center prominently located off the Business Hall lobby, students fine-tune their resumes and cover letters and engage in mock interviews, networking events and many more activities. As students stream through Business Hall, they easily access the RCPD for resources that help them develop the poise and professionalism they need to rise above the competition in the job market.  

“The center exists to help students become career ready and provide them with the tools to successfully obtain internships and full-time jobs,” said Amie Ryno, RCPD director. “I think the new building has been an enormous attraction for employers who already engage, as well as new employers. It is elevating the profile of the College because we have a beautiful space dedicated to business.”

Graduate students now have a home of their own in the RCB Graduate Center, where they study and collaborate with classmates. Graduate students have unique needs and goals, often balancing professional responsibilities with their academic requirements. Recognizing these challenges, RCB offers them a dedicated space to call their own in Business Hall.  Featuring desk space, open tables, and comfortable couches, the card-entry center even includes a kitchenette to assist working professionals on the go.  

“It’s a Rowan space where graduate students can come to collaborate with each other and professors, to relax before class or to grab a cup of coffee,” said Daniel McFarland, associate dean. "The advantage of RCB graduate programs is that they are within a university that is on an upward trend. We’re growing by leaps and bounds, making a significant impact on the region.”

The upcoming Center for Responsible Leadership will support research, instruction and programming emphasizing the triple bottom line - people, planet and profit - with an emphasis on corporate responsibility.

Rowan University Trading Room

The Rowan University Trading Room provides students an opportunity to apply their knowledge of financial markets in a realistic setting. The main component of the trading room are the 12 Bloomberg Terminals, which are a state of the art tool used by industry professionals to access real time market data, news, and analysis. In addition, students get to manage a portfolio of real money, seeded with $100,000 by the William G. Rohrer Charitable Foundation. The experience of using Bloomberg Terminals and managing a portfolio gives the students a real competitive advantage in the marketplace.​