Construction will begin to rebuild the David Eccles School of Business, but new faculty won’t fill the halls.
The Utah Legislature gave the business school a $23 million bond to begin the process of rebuilding the Madsen and Garff buildings April 15. The buildings have asbestos and outdated seismic integrity standards, and students have complained that classrooms are too crowded.
However, budget woes will prevent the school from complementing the increased space with as many new educators as originally planned.
“We won’t be able to expand our faculty,” said Jack Brittain, dean of the business school.
The business school administration was actively searching for nine new faculty members to bring into the new buildings, Brittain said. Administrators had to let all but two of the potential hires off the hook, one, a new faculty member in the information systems department and one in operations, said Raelynn Potts, director of business affairs.
The business school also won’t be able to raise salaries, a decision many college departments will make in response to the cuts, she said.
“Fortunately, we’re not losing any of our programs,” Potts said.
Joey Rice, a sophomore in economics, is applying for a business minor and is grateful that the quality of education the business school offers will not be affected. “It’s a lot nicer to not feel the effects,” he said.