Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management is going full circle. The school has announced plans to build a state-of-the-art, technology-enhanced building on its Evanston, Illinois campus that will house the school’s storied executive MBA and other executive education programs.
The building will be the centerpiece of Kellogg’s $600 million Full Circle fundraising campaign, which besides further establishing Kellogg’s position as an elite MBA school has a lofty goal: reinventing business education.
“We are about to step into a new era for Kellogg,” says Francesca Cornelli, dean of the M7 business school. “I feel that someday, many years from now, we will look at this moment and say, ‘This is where it all began.’ This is when we mobilize to build something extraordinary together that will have enduring effect on the world.”
NEW BUILDING WILL HAVE TWICE THE CAPACITY OF THE ALLEN CENTER
Kellogg plans for the building to create “an enhanced learning experience that seamlessly integrates in-person and virtual education to bring together students, alumni, corporate leaders and elite faculty around the world,” according to a press statement.
It will be the main location for the school’s top-ranked Executive MBA as well as its non-degree Executive Education programs; however, the building will be accessible and utilized by students across Kellogg’s programs, enhancing the entire Northwestern ecosystem.
The new building will replace the current Allen Center, and will reside alongside Kellogg’s Global Hub, which opened in 2017. The new facility — “an environment where virtual participants from around the world can fully engage as teachers and learners” — will provide nearly double the number of seats as the Allen Center.
GROUNDBREAKING IN WINTER 2025
Construction of the new building is expected to begin in winter 2025, and the building is expected to be in use by fall 2027.
Like the platinum LEED-certified Kellogg Global Hub, the new building is expected to earn LEED v4 status from the U.S. Green Building Council. This is a big part of Kellogg’s plan to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations by 2030.
The building will be the crowning achievement of the Full Circle campaign, at the heart of which is a drive to create “exceptional experiences for students while driving groundbreaking research that shapes business and society,” says Michael Schill, Northwestern president and Kellogg professor of finance and real estate.
“The concept of Full Circle highlights the crucial role that alumni play in creating the virtuous circle that allows Kellogg to thrive and be distinctively different,” Cornelli says. “The teaching and experience that faculty and staff deliver allow us to send out into the world Kellogg Leaders who will have an impact and open new frontiers. These leaders come back as alumni, bringing firsthand knowledge of the business landscape and new perspectives on how it is evolving.
“Through these insights, our faculty uncover novel research opportunities and create leading-edge programs for all students, and the Full Circle continues.”
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