Lundquist College of Business Has 'Greenest' Building in the Nation
State-of-the-art facility achieves coveted designation for environmentally friendly elements
Less than two years after opening to wide acclaim, the Lillis Business Complex at the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business is now being recognized as the most environmentally friendly business school facility in the country.
Completed in 2003 at a cost of $41 million, the new building is home to the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business and is a model of "green" building design, according to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, or LEED. A program of the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED is a voluntary national standard for developing high-performance sustainable buildings.
The new building earned the program's "silver" designation, ranking it higher than any other business school in the nation and among the most environmentally conscious buildings on any U.S. college campus. Its amenities include the largest installation of architectural solar glass in the Northwest, which provides much of the building's electrical power and lighting systems that take advantage of sunlight, turning themselves off when not in use.
Dean James Bean said the college is on the leading edge of a national trend. "There are a number of new business school facilities going up around the country, and we've heard from some of those who are very interested in what we're doing here."
The building's most striking feature is a four-story atrium that forms the heart of the building and features scores of photovoltaic panels embedded in the glass walls. Carefully designed classrooms and offices may be used almost year-round without electric lighting. Shade controls automatically regulate temperature and glare.
Designed by SRG Partnership, a Portland-based architectural firm, the 195,600-square-foot complex was built partially with materials salvaged from the site's previous building, along with certified hardwoods and other sustainable resources. Low-flow water fixtures have been installed throughout the building.
In addition to making good sense, the building's environmental elements enhance students' educational experience, Bean said. "As the world moves forward, resources are becoming more scarce. Good business is going to be sustainable business," he said. "It was important for us to take a leadership position in this area because leading is what we teach our students, and we wanted to practice what we preach."
The LEED recognition comes at a time when universities and colleges nationwide are increasingly incorporating sustainable elements into building plans. The University of Oregon is at the forefront of that trend, with a campus that features a student union partially powered by wind power and a recreation center making strong use of solar energy.
None of the new building's elements comes at the expense of high-tech amenities, though. It offers a state-of-the-art wireless network and Internet access, multimedia equipment, a distance-learning classroom outfitted with teleconferencing technology, and more. It also features flexible class spaces, small-group team project rooms, and six learning centers that cluster student resources, study areas, and faculty offices around particular disciplines. Borrowing the "huddle zone" concept from the corporate world, these shared spaces encourage interaction by bringing together faculty and students with common interests.
The complex was funded almost entirely with private gifts. Former MediaOne Group Chairman Chuck Lillis, who earned a Ph.D. from the business college in 1972, and his wife Gwen donated $14 million for the building and led a fund-raising effort that has generated $38 million in private support.
The Charles H. Lundquist College of Business is a 91-year-old institution that has earned national recognition for the quality of its programs in recent years. Both U.S.News & World Report and Entrepreneur magazine list the college's Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship as one of the nation's best. Similarly, the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center is recognized by sports journalists across the country as the nation's leading sports business program.
To learn more about the Lillis Business Complex and its 'green' design, please visit the Lillis Business Complex Page.
Making the Case for Better Business Through Chemistry
Grant highlights collaboration between business and science
The mixture of sweat and ideas can create good chemistry.
Just ask Professor Mike Russo of the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business. Russo got to know UO Professor of Chemistry James E. Hutchison while working out in the gym and found the two shared an interest in the environment, albeit from different perspectives. Whereas Russo is an expert on sustainable business, Hutchison is an authority on green chemistry, the science of making products and processes safer for the environment.
Hutchison worked with the American Chemical Society's Green Chemistry Institute, which won a $33,298 grant from the Dreyfus Foundation for the work. With funding in place, Hutchison and Russo then began to develop the framework for a pair of unprecedented case studies that would analyze the business and scientific challenges of integrating green chemistry into organizations. Case studies are teaching tools that enable students to apply theory to real-world problems.
The groundbreaking case studies, due for completion in spring 2006, will target Coastwide Laboratories of Wilsonville, Oregon, and Seventh Generation of Burlington, Vermont, both considered leaders in creating and selling environmentally responsible products.
Both professors are grateful for the companies' participation and excited about how their collaboration will benefit students.
"To integrate environmental issues into business strategies, managers must push cross-functional learning," Russo said. "In order to do that, you have to have business students broadly knowledgeable about science issues. It's also important that scientists develop some savvy about business models, how strategy unfolds, and how decisions made for scientific reasons impact business outcomes."
This synthesis of science and business could be a catalyst for future collaborations, according to Hutchison. "It's very significant, and I hope it's just the beginning for us," he said. "It gives business students an opportunity to talk with the technical content experts and learn more about how to think about the details of the technology as they develop their ideas and skills. For the chemistry side, students gain an incredible amount from interfacing with business students because they learn about the broader implications of their work."
As for the possibility of more such collaborations in the future, Hutchison said the gym is a great laboratory for mixing unlikely ingredients.
"Across this campus there are lots of opportunities to interface," Hutchison said. "That's the great thing about Oregon."
Business Plan Competition Ranks with World's Elite
The Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship's New Venture Championship has gone from a one-day local affair to one of the most respected business plan competitions in the world.
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| A-Gro Solutions form Thammasat University in Thailand took first place in this year's New Venture Championship |
When Randy Swangard judged the first New Venture Championship business plan competition in 1991, three teams battled for $300 in prize money, with the stipulation that the team from Portland State University had to win enough to pay for gas to Eugene and back.
Fourteen years later, Swangard is director of the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship (LCE) and oversees a New Venture Championship that has become one of the elite business plan competitions in the world. Just last month Swangard and LCE staff hosted top business school teams from around the United States, Canada, and the world, including Thammasat University of Thailand, representing the Pacific Rim.
Held now in Portland, this year's New Venture Championship featured 20 teams, selected from more than 55 interested entries, competing for nearly $65,000 in cash awards over three days of intense, rewarding, and educational experiences.
"We have schools from around the world literally kicking our door down to get into the competition. We've gone from a four-hour morning session to a three-day event. We've added dedicated key sponsors such as Columbia Sportswear, Aequitas Capital Management, Intel, and Tektronix. And the value the competition delivers is phenomenal," Swangard said.
The event culminates a year of planning by LCE staff members, who are already working on making the 2006 competition even better. But the work is worth it, not only for the revenue it generates but also for its contribution to the experience of participants and to the reputation of the center, the Lundquist College of Business, and the University of Oregon.
The stellar reputation of the New Venture Championship stems from its emphasis on education and learning. Event organizers work to ensure that students receive extensive written and verbal feedback from the nearly 60 judges, who are top professionals in the entrepreneurial world, service professions, and the investment community.
While Business Week magazine ranks the competition in the top three worldwide, LCE staff members aren't content to rest on their laurels. And they are looking east--the Far East--for inspiration. Impressed with the quality of venture teams after traveling to the Asia Moot Corp. event in Bangkok in March, Swangard would like to attract more Asian schools and make the New Venture Championship a Pacific Rim destination.
"What if we could bring together the best teams from Asia and North America at one of the best competitions anywhere? Now that's global business. It'd be awesome! That's the dream," Swangard said.