Plans for the new business school are proceeding despite the pandemic, offering the business department a major upgrade from their current suite in the North Hall, as well as renovations to the DeVos lobby.

Construction of the Calvin University School of Business is set to begin Mar. 1, 2021. Work will begin in the DeVos Communications Center lobby and continue there through the end of the school year. Over the summer, work will extend into the basement area, where utility connections will link DeVos Communication Center to the new building. A temporary wall will go up in one of the basement rooms, and noise disruption will be limited as much as possible via careful scheduling of construction.

The construction won’t impact the communication department, according to communications department chair Kathi Groenendyk. The DeVos lobby will likely be closed from the Mar. 1 start date through fall of 2021, and the political science department will move out of DeVos this summer, as construction plans include work in the current political science suite.

The move will be permanent, consistent with plans for the new university structure, according to  Professor Joel Westra, political science department chair. “The move will co-locate social sciences departments with one another and with related humanities departments,” said Westra.

Political science’s home will be Hiemenga Hall, where it will join the departments of classics, philosophy, religion, world languages and history.

The DeVos lobby and a new hospitality area are set to open in fall of 2021, with construction on the 15,000-square-foot addition fully completed by June 2022. All new facilities are intended to be ready for use in time for the fall 2022 semester.

According to Spark, the building “will house new offices, modern classrooms, contemporary breakout spaces, and large gathering areas, while also providing more recognition for the new school.”

The article incorrectly listed Professor Kathi Groenendyk as the business department chair. Chimes regrets the error.