The University of Missouri-Kansas City is putting its first students into the newly expanded business school. The $32 million “Henry Bloch Executive Hall for Entrepreneurship and Innovation” opens August 19.
Finished construction marks the biggest single money-gift the school has ever gotten.
The founder of H&R Block, Henry Bloch, says he footed the bill because he wanted it done in his lifetime and the community needs it— “it’s one thing to teach entrepreneurship but another thing to have a facility where students can come, and from some of this high tech equipment, become more proficient.”
Henry Bloch joined UMKC Chancellor Leo Morton and journalists touring the new school.
The school concentrates on classroom technology, individual and group creativity in a unique setting.
Lecture hall desks all swivel in arcs, encouraging shared learning between students. Skylights pointed in multiple directions deliver a variety of light and shadow throughout the day.
Administrators expect the new Executive Hall will double business school enrollment to 3,000 students. Enrollment already has grown 70 percent since 2009, according to school officials.
