BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Students of Western Kentucky University's Gordon Ford College of Business will soon have a new home. 

What You Need To Know

  • The new building for Western Kentucky University's Gordon Ford College of Business is taking shape 

  • It will include 21 new classrooms, an auditorium, a coffee shop, a balcony, a lounging area and innovative technology

  • The state legislature provided $75 million to help fund the project 

  • Construction broke ground in June 2023 

Construction on the exterior of the college's new building is nearly complete, which is held up by several columns. 

“These are 45 feet tall; they’re five feet in diameter," said Eric Duffy, project executive of Messer Construction Co. "I’m a little over 6 foot. These are just as wide as I am tall.”

The new building will include 21 new classrooms, an auditorium, a coffee shop, a balcony, a lounging area and innovative technology. 

“We wanted students to walk through the front door and naturally gravitate to that student success center and the recognition that this is their building and it was built for them," said Evelyn Thrasher, Dean of the College of Business. 

The state legislature provided nearly $75 million to fund the project. Representatives from the university added WKU will provide an additional $25 million; however, construction will not be done until fall 2025.

Thrasher said construction is taking place at a time where student enrollment is at an all-time high for the College of Business. She added in fall 2023, the college welcome a record 500 freshmen, and this fall, the total enrollment record was broken with 2,423 students.

The project broke ground in June 2023. 

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