Revamped Bergstrom Center provides another home for Warrington students
A major initiative for the Warrington College of Business has been creating “homes” for its students.
The College succeeded again with its newly renovated Kelley A. Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies. The “new” Bergstrom Center will be officially unveiled during a rededication ceremony at 5:30 p.m. today at Bryan Hall.
Until 2010, accounting students were the only Warrington students who had a home to call their own (Gerson Hall). The College’s other graduate and undergraduate students shuttled between numerous buildings for classes, student organization meetings and other activities.
The completion of Hough Hall in 2010 gave graduate students a home base. Heavener Hall, which was completed in 2014, similarly provided undergraduate students with a bona fide identity. The hope is that the Bergstrom Center will become a hub of activity for both undergraduate and graduate real estate students.
“Helping students is obviously a big part of what we do,” said Tim Becker, Bergstrom Center Director. “We never had a space for them to engage.”
The Bergstrom Center’s previous location was tucked away on the third floor of Stuzin Hall. Becker said the old space was more of an office setting than a research center with little room for collaboration and activities.
The new space, located on the second floor of Bryan Hall, has a sleek and professional feel. Its centerpiece is a spacious conference room with a large flatscreen monitor and communications technology allowing for videoconferencing. Students in the Master of Science in Real Estate Program (the Nathan S. Collier Program) have already used the conference room for mock presentations among other activities.
“It gives us a home base we’ve never had before,” said Kelsey Broadhead (BSBA ’15, MSRE ’16), a Graduate Assistant at the Bergstrom Center, “and I think it can only help attract more students to the master’s program.”
The cost of the renovation project was $500,000, and was entirely financed by private giving. Center namesake Kelley Bergstrom was instrumental in the initiative, matching the funds raised by fellow alumni and supporters.
“I felt we already had a four-star program,” said Bergstrom, “but this new facility will allow our very strong academic program to operate efficiently in an attractive and productive layout. This will add to the educational experience of future students, faculty and alumni.”
