When the upgrades are completed, Tippie students will have spaces that amplify the impact of their classes, programming, and opportunities.
“Before, you had to modify the programming to the building,” says Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Charles Keene. “The new campus will be designed to support the curriculum and programming.”
Here's the before and after:
CAREER PLANNING AND PREPARATION
BEFORE
Tippie students used the university’s main career center, located across Market Street in the Pomerantz Center.
AFTER
The new Tippie Career Services Center, housed in PBB off the atrium, will provide an additional layer of specialized services for business students through staff members with deep expertise in business needs and major-specific recruiting cycles. The space will make it easier for Director of Tippie Undergraduate Career Services Cindy Meis to arrange for employer recruiting visits and events hosted by industry leaders.
“There are a lot of employers who want to connect with our students,” says Meis. “The new space helps move us forward with this professional development focus.”
COMMUNICATIONS TRAINING
BEFORE
Tippie offered the Big Ten’s first business specific writing and communications center when the Frank Business Communication Center opened in 2006 (and the Accounting Writing Program even before that in 1998). Tucked into a hidden hallway on the third floor, its directors and tutors supported students who needed help with everything from drafting papers for economics classes to creating presentations for marketing courses.
AFTER
In addition to traditional support for papers and presentations, the new, highly visible Frank Business Communication Center and communications lab will take full advantage of today’s technology, says Center Director Carl Follmer: Students might 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 not just to map out their talking points—but how to manage their own reactions when their ideas don’t gain immediate buy-in.
IMMERSIVE LEARNING
BEFORE
Many classrooms were designed with “sage on the stage” lecture-style teaching in mind, with tiered seating and chairs bolted to the floor.
AFTER
Two new classrooms with flexible, tech-friendly spaces are being designed for hands-on teaching and learning so students can engage with their education instead of “watching” it. Students might mingle at a simulated networking event, work through a crisis communications scenario, or collaborate on team projects with partners around the world. Their most important presentations may move from the classroom to the executive conference room overlooking the green.
“As much as possible, we try to simulate in our classes the experience of the first job that students might have right after graduation,” says Follmer.
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
BEFORE
PBB has always had a lot of windows and a collection of tables outdoors where people could sit during months of the year when it wasn’t too hot or cold.
AFTER
A recent survey told us some students spend up to 14 hours a day in our building, so we wanted to provide a variety of healthy spaces on the new business campus. The new design brings additional seating into the light-filled atrium, which can be used year-round. The design also revitalizes the courtyard, creating a business green with new seating areas to help busy students recharge in fresh air and natural light.
ACADEMIC SUPPORT
BEFORE
The many services that contribute to a successful student experience—supplemental instruction, tutoring, applied learning such as research and internships, and an array of other enriching opportunities like participation in student organizations and study abroad programs, were available to students, but spread across PBB, and even beyond it.
AFTER
The Undergraduate Program Office will be prominently located at one end of the atrium, bringing together many offerings, including academic advising and career services, that students need in a single, highly visible hub. Additionally, a new configurable space dedicated to student success will provide maximum flexibility for supplemental instruction, tutoring, student group meetings, case competition practices, and Tippie Thrive activities focused on building resiliency.
“The reconfiguration will contribute to enhancing the quality of programming that we’re already so good at delivering,” says Keene.
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This article first appeared in the Fall 2025 issue of Tippie Magazine.
Early conceptual design renderings by Neumann Monson Architects.