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The Advisory Board of the Kelce College of Business put on their hard hats Friday to look at the new Kelce College of Business, which is under construction on the corners of Third Street and Broadway in downtown Pittsburg.
Amid the loud sounds of machinery, Dean of the Kelce College of Business, Dr. Paul Grimes, led the Advisory Board and Pitt State’s new President, Dr. Thomas Newsom, on a tour of the building. The current building that houses the Kelce College of Business was built in 1952 as the College High School, back when Pitt State was primarily a teachers’ college. It was used to train high school teachers until the 1970s when it closed. The building later housed the business administration programs, which later became the Kelce College of Business.
According to Grimes, the facility has become inadequate for the needs of 21st century business education, with cramped classrooms and physical challenges due to the building’s age.
“There is no space for students to collaborate or engage with each other,” Grimes said.
The new Kelce College of Business plans to solve these problems with a state-of-the-art learning environment, featuring spacious and flexible classrooms, team rooms for group projects, meeting spaces for staff and faculty, a recording studio to produce audio and video, and even an observation lab for marketing projects and behavioral research.
All of the College of Business’ junior and senior-level courses will be taught in the new building, with most freshman and sophomore-level courses staying on the main campus. The College of Business is already working to make sure that students have transportation to the new location with the addition of a shuttle service and 150 new parking spaces.
When asked how this project was being funded, Grimes said that the new Kelce College of Business was being funded through both public and private funds.
“Generous alumni, local businesses, and friends of the university have made contributions to the construction of the new building,” Grimes said. “Both the State of Kansas and the City of Pittsburg have made significant investments in the project, knowing that the result will have long-lasting economic benefits for our community, the state, and the region.”
The City of Pittsburg has indeed played a significant role in the college’s development, investing $10 million in the project for the next 10 years. Grimes believes that the College of Business’ new location in Downtown Pittsburg will be a great asset to the community.
“We anticipate working with Pittsburg employers to expand our internship opportunities and to help our students to consider building their careers locally,” Grimes said. “The new building will be home to several outreach centers through which our faculty will provide services to the local business community – these include the Business and Economic Research Center, the Professional Selling Center, and the Center for Business and Talent Development.”
Grimes also anticipates student enrollment for the College of Business to grow, citing the significant growth universities experienced following the completion of similar facilities.
“Given the state of current facilities, it has been very difficult to attract new students to come to Pitt State for their business degree,” Grimes said. “We will now have something that no other business school in the state will have – a new facility in the heart of a vibrant and growing business district with distinctive student housing only a block away.”
The student housing Grimes is referring to is the historic Besse Hotel. The Besse Hotel was one of Pittsburg’s premier hotels back when it opened in June 1927. After years of neglect, the National Register of Historic Places-listed building is currently being restored into apartments for students and for use as the Center for Reading. The new Kelce College of Business and the Besse Hotel are planned to welcome students in the fall of 2026.
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