Woodbury University School of Business: student demand leads to new look for Woodbury's Burbank...

Woodbury University is embarking on a bold campus expansion that will ransform its scenic Burbank campus through construction of new facilities for the School of Business and School of Architecture and Design.

The construction is the result of student demand. Woodbury has experienced significant

The building initiative offers new opportunities to renovate and reallocate space, as well as to construct new facilities. For the School of Business, a new building will bring students and faculty together under one roof. The dedicated home for the School of Business will create a strong new presence for Woodbury's respected business programs. This 22,000-square-foot building will provide a highly flexible space for much-needed classrooms and other instructional uses. Having the separate School of Business facility also will aid Woodbury's pursuit of accreditation by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Woodbury's School of Business is now accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), the leading specialized accreditation association for business education, but is now a candidate for AACSB accreditation as a way to further demonstrate its commitment to quality in business education.

For the School of Architecture and Design, a new architecture studio will provide critical studio and classroom space. The 15,000-square-foot building will be adjacent to the existing architecture facilities near the Woodbury campus.

The projects will be funded through a $23.8-million campaign that includes bonds along with the generous support of alumni, foundations, area corporations, and other friends. To date, Woodbury has nearly 70 percent of the goal in hand.

"Woodbury's rising stature in the academic and professional world makes this the right time to engage our alumni and friends in a major fundraising initiative to ensure a vital future," says Dr. Kenneth R. Nielsen, president, Woodbury.

Woodbury's 22-acre campus is nestled in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains. While the university has been able to make progress in using existing campus facilities to support enrollment growth and evolving student needs, additional buildings are now a necessity. The new facilities represent Woodbury's dedication to providing the most advanced, modern educational facilities in a supportive environment that prepares students for professional and personal success.

"We are committed to building facilities that provide the best educational opportunities possible and will represent all that Woodbury has to offer to this community and region," Dr. Nielsen explains.

That means, for example, more space for architecture students to continue their individualized learning, using daily desk critiques and pinup sessions, or having shops that demonstrate the old industrial technology such as the band saw alongside new digital technologies such as rapid prototyping. In the business building, Woodbury will create spaces that allow faculty to meet the community in offices, conference and seminar rooms, classrooms, and auditoria. These will be digitally sophisticated spaces that can link students, faculty, and business people around the world in real time.

This initiative comes at a critical time in Woodbury's long and successful history. The university has achieved a prominent place in higher education in Southern California and is an important presence offering a unique educational opportunity to students. Woodbury's vision is to give the best and the brightest from diverse backgrounds the best education possible, which means one that prepares them for success in the world they enter upon graduation.

"This is what we must do to truly give opportunity, to really promise success. It is our mission. What distinguishes us and makes us more successful is that we embrace this mission with pride in knowing that we impact lives when and where needed most, and, by doing so, impact not just individuals but entire families. We change the course of families for generations to come," says Dr. Nielsen.

For more information about Woodbury's "Initiative for the Future," please contact Richard M. Nordin, vice president, University Advancement, at 818.252.5212 or richard.nordin@woodbury.edu.