New $10M hall at Arkansas Tech to anchor expanded business college; undergrads get new choices

Arkansas Tech opens $10M business college hall

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas Tech University’s business college marked the opening of its new $10 million home on Thursday and gave students new options to specialize in specific areas of emphasis.

The busy lobby of Rothwell Hall opens on one side to student advising offices and on the other to a stock trading lab. The glass-walled classroom has widescreen computers for 24 students plus a set of screens flashing stock prices, exchange rates and other information. The showpiece also has a double-size whiteboard with two projectors that the instructor can use to illustrate lessons.

A color stock ticker runs along the top of the walls and extends into the lobby.

“This building incorporates everything our students and faculty wanted to have,” Business College Dean Tom Tyler said.

Arkansas Tech President Robert. C. Brown said the campus has struggled to make room for all its offerings and that was a “driving force” for construction.

“We were a very crowded campus, and still are,” Brown said. Fall enrollment was about 8,800, the 11th straight year of growth.

The building, which includes two floors of classrooms, will be among the first sights new students experience. New freshmen each spend an hour with a counselor in the spacious advising area as they prepare to register, said Linda Clark, director of advising.

The top floor is home to a regional office of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center. There, people who are starting or expanding businesses can get individual help, as well as attend classes or seminars.

The center moved to Arkansas Tech this year from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, and Jim Reser, the center’s new director.

One function of the center is helping existing companies retain jobs. If a business is looking at trimming staff, the center can help the company add a new product or cut costs to help preserve those jobs, Reser said.

Brown said the school’s plan is to continuously improve its business college and noted that it has gained accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Students pursuing bachelor of science degrees in business administration can now select an area of emphasis in which they can specialize: marketing, entrepreneurship, management or international business.

The building’s five computer labs have 314 computers for student use, and the overall facility can seat more than 800 students at one time. Faculty members plan to work more closely with area business leaders to enhance the classroom experience.

Arkansas Tech officials noted that opening Rothwell Hall marks $161 million the campus has spent on improvements since 1995.

The hall is named for Ben and Terry Rothwell, who are Arkansas Tech alumni and are among its most significant contributors. Terry Rothwell is founder and CEO of the information technology and consulting firm Celerit, based in Little Rock.

The hall was designed by AMR Architects of Little Rock.