Howard L. Hawks Hall opened in August and a series of inaugural projects and events followed from the first day of classes to the first holidays celebrated in the building. In honor of Valentine’s Day, business faculty, staff and students explain why they love Hawks Hall. The Nebraska Business community can share their own notes of appreciation, called Husker Hearts, on Wednesday, February 14, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. in the Welcome Center.
Joining what was then the College of Business Administration in 2008, Dr. Leslie Carlson, professor of marketing and Nathan J. Gold Distinguished Professor, moved into the new building this summer with his nearly 300 colleagues in less than six days. After more than a semester, he finds the building to be a great source of motivation.
“What I’ve found to be most wonderful about Hawks Hall is that every time I enter the building, I’m filled with a sense of amazement coupled equally with fulfillment and pride as a Nebraskan. These positives invariably lift my spirit, irrespective of what I’ve brought with me each day I work here,” Carlson said.
Mark Pogue, executive director of the Clifton Strengths Institute, joined Nebraska Business in 2015. He shared how Hawks Hall sets greater expectations.
Mark Pogue tosses the 'catch box' microphone during a playful moment in class.
“The new building’s light and openness create an awesome environment to do great work. It creates a standard for the work we do. I want to up my game and I think it creates an expectation for students too. In the big lecture hall, there can be a lot of people in the room but the design creates some intimacy allowing students to be more comfortable engaging with me and their peers,” Pogue said.
New staff member Kate McCown, assistant director of the Teaching and Learning Center, came to Hawks Hall this fall from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Though adjusting to the cold of Nebraska winters, she appreciates how the spaces in the new building support students and their academic pursuits.
“In addition to the wonderfully designed classrooms, I love seeing students hanging out in common spaces of the building. The Teaching and Learning Center is filled daily with students who are working on homework, meeting with classmates to work on group projects and seeking out tutoring for additional academic support. The new building is amazing, but it is truly the students, faculty and staff who have brought the space to life and made it a hub for academic excellence,” McCown said.
A former student who graduated in May 2017 in marketing, Garrett Stolz, started in the Nebraska Business Communications, Marketing and External Relations office in September 2017. Even in the new building, he stated it is the people who make Nebraska Business special.
Angelica Carlini spoke on behalf of students at the Howard L. Hawks Hall ribbon cutting ceremony last August.
“As a recent graduate and new employee, I love Hawks Hall because the faculty and staff bring a sense of community to the building. They make it feel like a home away from home,” Stolz said.
Senior Angelica Carlini, a marketing major from Grand Island, Nebraska, echoed his statements and shared how community made Nebraska Business – no matter where it was located – her home for the last four years.
“Even though I returned this fall to a new state-of-the-art building, the same feeling of home is here because the same people are here. Only now, they have a building that matches their talents. Thanks to Howard Hawks and all of our generous donors,” she said.
Published: February 14, 2018