Highlights
--The new complex will join Pappajohn Business Building and historic Gilmore Hall to add more than 70,000 square feet of space to the Tippie College of Business
--The new business campus will put student success services front and center
--It will also provide easier access to the college’s resources for Iowa businesses
Construction of a new, larger home for the Tippie College of Business symbolically kicked off with a groundbreaking ceremony Friday afternoon.
Work started in August on the two-year project that will create a one square block business education campus by linking the Pappajohn Business Building with neighboring Gilmore Hall. The new complex will provide both an improved educational experience for University of Iowa business students and better connect the college to the state’s business community.
The event was attended by: University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson; University of Iowa Center for Advancement President Sheila Baldwin; Tippie College of Business Dean Amy Kristof-Brown; Paige Reynolds, Tippie senior and president of the Business Student Ambassador Organization; and members of the Tippie family.
Additional space for growing college
The new facility will provide new space for the college that has outgrown its home. Opened in 1994, the Pappajohn Business Building was built for an enrollment of 1,600 students. The college currently serves about 4,600 undergraduate students with an additional 166 on-campus graduate and professional students.
Gilmore Hall will add 43,800 square feet of space to the 228,800 square feet in the Pappajohn Business Building. An additional 30,500 square feet of new space will be built to connect the two buildings, including an all-season atrium.
Gilmore Hall was built in 1910 as the College of Law. It was home to Nile Kinnick, a law student in 1941-42, and future Supreme Court justice Wiley Rutledge, who was dean of the law school from 1935 to 1939 and later appointed an associate justice in 1943 by President Franklin Roosevelt.
Better access to student learning tools
The new complex will provide state-of-the-art learning tools with three new active learning classrooms and four learning labs for hands-on student experiences in sales, AI, marketing and communications. It will also include new offices for faculty and doctoral students, and dedicated space for the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC).
The building will also have an event space and a 25-seat executive conference room overlooking the Pentacrest.
The complex has been designed to prioritize the student experience by putting student services front and center. From the new atrium, students will be able to see student advising, the Frank Business Communication Center, career services, mental health and wellness services, and other student success resources.
The new Tippie Career Services Center will provide a more professional environment for employer recruiting visits and events hosted by industry leaders, the Frank Business Communication Center and communications lab will allow students to use a virtual reality tool to walk into a “boardroom” filled with AI-generated board members who are sleepy, combative, or skeptical. Students will learn how to not just map out their talking points but how to manage their own reactions when their ideas don’t gain immediate buy-in.
The building will also include a variety of healthy spaces, including gathering spots in the light-filled atrium and a revitalized courtyard with new seating areas to help busy students recharge in fresh air and a natural environment.
Important business endorsements
The expansion project has received seals of approval from several major companies either headquartered in Iowa or with strong presences in the state. HNI, Hy-Vee, Van Meter, CIVCO and Kunkel and Associates have all made significant financial contributions to the project.
Construction will cost $60 million, with $52 million provided by private donors, led by a $20 million gift from the Tippie family. Work is expected to be complete in Summer 2028.
“We wouldn’t be here today without the generosity of the Tippie family. Their transformational lead gift set this project in motion, and we are truly grateful for their longtime support, not only for the college that bears their name, but for our entire university,” said Sheila Baldwin, president of the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. “I’m certain that Henry would be so proud.”
“You know, this is such an exciting time for the University, we are on a path toward growing, not too fast, and not too much,” said Barbara Wilson, president of the University of Iowa. “But growing in ways that support our students and this expansion will benefit us greatly. If you spend any time in this building walking around, there's students everywhere, all hours of the day. They're studying, they're working, they're having a snack. They're doing teamwork projects, and they're just basically loving this building."
“Henry and Patricia Tippie's generosity has shaped the trajectory of this college for decades, and the family’s continued commitment is creating even more opportunities for generations of students, faculty, and staff. The impact of their support will be felt not only in these reimagined spaces, but in the lives and careers of the people who learn and work within them,” said Amy Kristof-Brown, dean of the Tippie College of Business. “The strongest institutions endure because people care enough to invest in their continued growth and success. Looking around today, my heart is full because the Tippie College of Business is fortunate to be surrounded by such people.”
“In my time at Tippie we have experienced significant growth in opportunity, name recognition, and student population,” said Paige Reynolds, Tippie senior and president of the Business Student Ambassador Organization. “In fact, we have grown over 25% in just my 3 years here. And while this growth has been incredible to see, what is even more amazing is that Tippie has never lost its close-knit identity. In every class and every organization, I have made new and enduring relationships that will last a lifetime. The expansion is designed to build on the top-tier opportunities for students while also managing to keep the Tippie identity that has made it so special. Whether it’s the new communication and AI labs or the additional collaboration space, I know this renovation will benefit Tippie students for generations to come.”
More details about the project can be found here.
Media Contact
Tom Snee
Media Relations Specialist
319-384-0010 (o)
319-541-8434 (c)
tom-snee@uiowa.edu